^yVi  Of  ?mCET^ 


•^OlOGICAL  St>*'^ 


AN  ESSAY 

O.N    THE 

WARRANT,   NATURE,  AND   DUTIES 

or  THE   OFflCK   OF 

THE  RULING  ELDER, 

I.\   THK 

PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

/ 
BY  SAMUEL  MILLER,  D.  D. 

PROFESSOR    IN    THE    THEOLOGICAL    SEMINARY    AT   PRINtKTOS. 

THIRD  EDITION'. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PRESBYTERIAX  BOARD  OF  PUBLICATION. 

JAMES    RUSSELL,    PCBLISHIXO    AGENT. 

1S40. 


Entered  according  to  the  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1832,  by  Samuel 
Miller,  in  the  Clerk's  office  of  the  District  of  New  Jerfiey. 


PHILADELPHIA  : 
WILLIAM   8.    MARTlEjr,    PRINTER. 


MINISTERS    AND    ELDERS 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH, 


UNITED  STATES. 

Reverend  and  Respected  Brethren, 

The  substance  of  the  following  essay  was  de- 
livered, from  the  pulpit,  in  the  form  of  a  sermon, 
more  than  twenty  years  ago,  and  subsequently  pub- 
lished. In  consequence  of  repeated  solicitation, 
from  some  individuals  of  your  number,  I  have 
thought  proper  to  alter  its  form,  to  enlarge  its 
limits,  and  to  adapt  it,  accorxiing  to  my  best  judg- 
ment, to  more  general  utility.  It  has  long  ap- 
peared to  me  that  a  more  ample  discussion  of  this 
subject  than  I  have  hitherto  seen,  is  really  needed. 
And  if  the  present  volume  should  be  considered  as^ 
in  any  tolerable  degree,  answering  the  desired  pur- 


pose,  I  shall  feel  myself  richly  rewarded  for  the 
labour  which  has  attended  its  preparation. 

Such  as  it  is,  ray  venerated  friends,  1  inscribe  it, 
most  respectfully,  to  you.  My  first  prayer  in  re- 
gard to  it  is,  that  it  may  be  the  means  of  doing 
some  good :  my  next,  that  it  may  be  received  by 
those  whom  I  have  so  much  reason  to  respect  and 
love,  as  a  well  intended  effort  to  benefit  the  Church 
of  God. 

I  am  aware  that  some  of  my  brethren  do  not 
concur  with  me  in  maintaining  the  Divine  au- 
thority of  the  ofTice  of  the  Ruling  Elder;  and, 
probably,  in  several  other  opinions  respecting  this 
office  advanced  in  the  following  pages.  In  refer- 
ence to  these  points,  I  can  only  say,  that,  as  the 
original  publication,  of  which  this  is  an  enlarge- 
ment, was  made  without  the  remotest  thought  of 
controversy,  and  even  without  adverting,  in  my 
own  mind,  to  the  fact,  that  I  differed  materially 
from  any  of  my  brethren;  so  nothing  is  more  for- 
eign from  my  wishes,  in  the  republication,  than  to 
assail  the  opinions  or  feelings  of  any  brother.  I 
have  carefully  re-examined  the  whole  subject.  And, 
although,  in  doing  this,  I  have  been  led  to  modify 
some  of  my  former  opinions,  in  relation  to  a  few 
minor  p6.ints  ;  yet  in  reference  to  the  Divine  war- 
rant and  the  great  importance  of  the  office  for 
which   1  plead,    my    convictions    have    become 


stronger  than  ever.  The  following  sheets  ex- 
hibit those  views,  and  that  testimony  in  support 
of  them,  which  at  present,  satisfy  my  own  mind, 
and  which  I  feel  confident  may  be  firmly  sustain- 
ed. How  far,  however,  the  considerations  which 
have  satisfied  me,  may  impress  more  impartial 
judges,  I  cannot  venture  to  foretell.  All  that  I 
dare  to  ask  in  their  behalf  is,  that  they  may  be 
seriously  and  candidly  weighed. 

But  there  is  one  point  in  regard  to  which  I  an- 
ticipate no  diversity  of  opinion.  If  the  statement 
given  in  the  following  essay,  concerning  the  duties 
incumbent  on  Ruling  Elders,  be  correct,  it  is  cer- 
tain that  very  inadequate  views  of  those  duties, 
have  been  too  often  taken,  both  by  those  who 
conferred,  and  those  who  sustained  the  office ;  and 
that  there  is  a  manifest  and  loud  call  for  an  attempt 
to  raise  the  standard  of  public  sentiment  in  refer- 
ence to  the  whole  subject.  That  we  make  so  little 
of  this  office,  compared  with  what  we  might  do,  and 
ought  to  do,  does  really  appear  to  me  one  of  the 
deepest  deficiencies  of  our  beloved  Church.  That 
a  reform  in  this  respect  is  desirable,  is  to  express 
but  half  the  truth.  It  is  necessary;  it  is  vital.  It 
has  pleased  the  sovereign  Disposer,  to  cast  our  lot 
in  a  period  of  mighty  plans,  and  of  high  moral 
effort,  for  the  benefit  of  the  world.     In  the  subject 

B 


of  this  volume,  I  am  inclined  to  think,  is  wrapped 
up  one  of  those  means  which  are  destined,  under 
His  blessing,  to  be  richly  productive  of  moral 
energy  in  the  enterprises  of  Christian  benevolence, 
which  appear  to  be  every  day  gathering  strength. 
When  the  rulers  of  the  Church  shall,  in  the 
genuine  spirit  of  the  humble,  faithful,  and  laborious 
Paul,  "  magnify  their  office ;"  when  they  shall  be 
found  cordially  and  diligently  co-operating  with 
those  who  "labour  in  the  word  and  doctrine,"  in 
inspecting,  counselling,  and  watching  over  the 
*'  flocks"  respectively  committed  to  their  "  over- 
sight in  the  Lord;"  and  when  they  shall  be  suit- 
ably honoured  and  employed,  in  their  various  ap- 
propriate functions,  both  by  pastors  and  people ; 
this  change  will,  I  believe,  be,  at  once,  one  of  the 
surest  precursors,  and  one  of  the  most  efficient 
means,  of  the  introduction  of  brighter  days  in  the 
Church  of  God. 

So  far  as  we  can  anticipate  events,  this  impor- 
tant change  must  begin  with  the  teachers  and 
rulers  of  the  Church  themselves.  On  every  one 
oiyou,  therefore,  if  my  estimate  of  the  subject  be 
Correct,  devolves  a  high  and  most  interesting  re- 
sponsibility. That  you  may  have  grace  given  you 
.to  acquit  yourselves  of  this  responsibility,  in  a 
manner  acceptable  to  our  common  Master,  and 
•conducive  to  the  signal  advancement  of  his  king- 


dom;  and  that  future  generations,  both  in  the 
Church  and  out  of  it,  may  have  reason  to 
"rise  up  and  call  you  blessed,"  is  the  fervent 
prayer  of, 

Reverend  and  Respected  Brethren, 

Your  friend  and  fellow-servant 

in  the  house  of  God, 

SAMUEL  MILLER. 

Princeton, 
Jipril  20,  183L 


CHAPTER   I. 

Introductory  Remarks — Nature  of  the  Church — Visible 
and  Invisible  Church — Unity  of  the  Church — A  form  of 
government  for  the  Church  appointed  by  Christ — Nature 
and  limits  of  ecclesiastical  power — Summary  of  the 
doctrine  of  Presbyterians  on  this  subject — The  proper 
classes  of  officers  in  a  Church  completely  organized — 
Positions  intended  to  be  established,  as  affording  a  war- 
rant for  the  office  of  Ruling  Elders. — page  13 — 30. 

CHAPTER  II. 

Testimony  from  the  order  of  the  Old  Testament  Church — 
Import  of  the  term  Elder — Specimen  of  the  representa- 
tions given  of  this  class  of  officers — Elders  of  the  Syna- 
gogue— Authoritie-^  in  reference  to  the  government  of 
the  Synagogue — The  titles,  duties,  number,  mode  of 
sitting,  &c.,  of  the  Elders  of  the  Synagogue — Quota- 
tions from  distinguished  writers  on  this  subject — Bur- 
net  —  Goodwin  —  Li^htfoot  —  Stillingjleet — Grotius — 
Spencer — Clark — Neander. — p.  31 — 49. 

CHAPTER  III. 

Evidence  from  the  New  Testament  Scriptures — Model  of 
the  Synagogue  transferred  to  the  Church — Specimen  of 
the  passages  which  speak  of  the  New  Testament  El- 
ders— Particular  texts  which  establisli  the  existence  of 
this  class  of  Elders  in  the  primitive  Church — Objections 
to  our  construction  of  these  passages — Answered — 
p.  49—73. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Testimony  of  the  Christian  Fathers— C/cmens  Komanus — 
Ignatius — Polycarp — Cyprian  —  Origen — Gesta    Pur- 
I 


IQ  CONTENTS. 

gationis,  Sfc,  Opiatus — Ambrose — Augustine — Aposto- 
lical Constitutions — Isodore — Gregory — Facts  inciden- 
tally stated  by  the  Fathers  concerning  some  of  the  El- 
ders— Syrian  Christians — p.  73 — lUG. 

CHAPTER  V. 

Testimony  of  the  Witnesses  for  the  Truth  in  the  Dark 
Ages —  Waldenses — Albigenses — Bohemian  Churches — 
Calvin  derived  this  feature  in  his  ecclesiastical  system 
from  the  Bohemian  Brethren — p.  107 — 120. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Testimony  of  the  Reformers — Zuingle — Oecolampadins — 
Rarer — Peter  Murtijr — John  A  Lasco — Calvin — Whit- 
gift — Dean  Noioell — Ursinns — Confession  of  Saxony — 
Szegeden — Magdcbingh  Centvriators  —  Junius — Zan- 
chius — I'arcBus — Viscator  —  Cartwright — Greenham — 
Eslius — Whitaker — Ruling  Elders  generally  established 
in  the  Reformed  Churches — p.  121 — 146. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Testimony  of  eminent  divines  since  the  Reformation — 
Owen — Baxter — t^nglish  Puritans — of  New  England — 
Goodwin — Hooker — Cotton — Davenport  —  Thorndike — 
Cotton  Mather — Edwards— Kromayer — Baldwin — Sui- 
cer —  Whitbii — Watts— Doddridge — Neander —  Dwight 
—p.  146—174. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Ruling  Elders  necessary  in  the  Church — The  importance 
of  Discipline  to  the  purity  of  the  Church— Discipline 
cannot  be  maintained  without  this  class  of  otiicers,  or 
persons  of  equivalent  powers — The  Pastor  alone  cannot 
maintain  it — The  whole  body  of  the  Church  cannot  con- 
duct  it  in  a  wise  and  happy  manner — Prelatists  and  In- 
dependents both  obliged  to  provide  substitutes  for  them — 
This  provision,  however,  inadequate. — p.  174 — 194. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Nature  of  the  Ruling  Elder's  office— Analogy  between 
their  office  and  that  of  secular  rulers — Their  duties  as 


CONTENTS.  \\ 

members  of  the  Church  Session — Their  more  private 
and  constant  duties  as  "overseers"  of  the  Church — 
Their  duties  as  monbers  of  higher  judicatories — Ques- 
tion discussed  whether  they  ought  to  be  called  lay-El. 
ders — Duties  of  the  Church  members  to  their  Elders — 
Elders  ought  to  have  a  particular  seat  assigned  them- — 
p.  194—218. 

CHAPTER  X. 

Distinction  between  the  office  of  Ruling  Elder  and  Dea- 
con— The  persons  whose  appointment  to  take  care  of 
the  poor  is  recorded  in  the  sixth  chapter  of  the  Acts  of 
the  Apostles,  were  ihejirst  Deacons — The  question  dis- 
cussed, whether  they  were  Deacons  at  all — Whether 
the  first  Deacons  were  preachers  and  baptizers? — Dea- 
cons were  never  ecclesiastical  Rulers — The  office  of 
Deacon  dropped  by  many  Presbyterian  Churches — The 
offices  of  Ruling  Elder  and  Deacon  united  in  the  same 
men,  in  Scotland  and  the  United  States — This  not  desi- 
rable— Reasons  for  this  opinion. — p.  218 — 246. 

CHAPTER  XI. 

The  qualifications  proper  for  the  office  of  Ruling  Elder — 
It  is  not  necessary  that  they  be  aged  persons — It  is  of 
the  utmost  importance  that  they  have  unfeigned  and 
approved  piety — That  they  possess  good  sense,  and 
sound  judgment — That  they  be  orthodox,  and  well  in- 
formed in  gospel  truth — That  they  have  eminent  ^rw- 
dence — That  they  be  of  good  report  among  them  who 
are  without — That  they  be  men  of  public  spirit — That 
they  be  men  of  ardent  zeal,  and  importunate  prayer — 
p.  247—263. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Of  the  election  of  Ruling  Elders — Who  aro  proper  Elec- 
tors  ? — Ought  they  to  be  elected  for  life,  or  only  for  a 
limited  time  ? — Of  the  number  of  Elders  proper  for  each 
Church — Of  those  who  may  be  considered  as  eligible  to 
this  office — Whether  a  man  may  be  a  Ruling  Elder  in 
more  than  one  Church  at  the  same  time — p.  263 — 278. 


12  CONTENT'S. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


Of  the  ordination  of  Kuling  Elders — Ordination  a  neces- 
sary designation  to  office — Proofs  from  Scripture — The 
laying  on  of  hands — Not  always  connected  with  the 
special  gifts  of  the  Spirit — This  ceremony  ought  to  be 
employed  in  the  ordination  of  Ruling  Elders — Probable 
reason  of  its  falling  into  disuse — Authorities  in  favour 
of  its  restoration — Who  ought  to  lay  on  hands  in  the 
Ordination  of  Elders — Advantages  of  imposing  hands 
in  ordaining  this  class  of  officers. — p.  S!76 — 297. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

On  the  resignation  of  Ruling  Elders — Their  removal  from 
one  Church  to  another — The  method  of  conducting  dis- 
cipline against  them. — p.  297 — 303, 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  advantages  of  conducting  discipline  upon  the  Presby- 
terian plan — It  is  founded  on  the  principle  of  Represen. 
taiion — It  presents  one  of  the  best  barriers  against  Cle. 
rical  amhition  and  encroachments — Furnishes  one  of  the 
best  securities  for  preserving  the  rights  of  the  people — 
Furnishes  to  Ministers  efficient  counsel  and  support — 
Favourable  to  despatch  and  energy — Accomplishes  that 
which  cannot  be  attained  in  any  other  way-:— Favourable 
to  union  and  co-operation  in  enterprises  of  Christian 
benevolence. — p.  304 — 324. 


,  IS  i  1'  Of 


YWKQI^&mC-Zh 


^f0f^' 


CHAPTER  I. 


INTRODUCTORY 


Our  once  crucified,  but  now  exalted  Redeemer, 
has  erected  in  this  world  a  kingdom  which  is  his 
Church.  This  Cliurch  is  either  visible  or  invi- 
sible. 

By  the  invisible  Church  we  mean,  the  whole 
body  of  sincere  believers,  of  every  age  and  nation, 
"  that  have  been,  are,  or  shall  be  gathered  into  one, 
under  Christ,  the  glorious  Head  thereof."  Part  of 
these  are  already  made  perfect  in  heaven.  Ano- 
ther portion  are  at  present  scattered  over  the  earth 
in  different  denominations  of  professing  Christians, 
though  not  certainly  distinguishable  from  others  by 
the  human  eye.  And  the  remainder  are  in  future 
to  be  gathered  in  by  the  grace  of  God ;  when  the 
whole  number  of  the  "  redeemed  from  among 
men,"  will  be  united  in  one  holy  assembly,  which 
is  the  "  spouse,"  the  "  body  of  Christ,  the  fulness 
ofHim  that  fiUeth  all  in  all." 

By  the  visible  Church  is  meant  the  body  of 
those  who  profess  the  true  religion,  together  with 
their  children.  It  is  that  body  which  is  called  out 
of  the  world,  and  united  under  the  authority  of 
Christ,  the  head,  for  the  purpose  of  maintaining 
Gospel  Truth  and  Order,  and  promoting  the  know- 
ledge, purity,  comfort,  and  edification  of  all  the 
2 


14  INTRODUCTOEY. 

members.  When  we  use  the  term  Church,  as  ex- 
pressive of  a  visible,  professing  body,  we  either 
mean  the  whole  visible  Church  of  God  throughout 
the  world,  or  a  particular  congregation  of  profess- 
ing Christians,  who  have  agreed  to  unite  together 
for  the  purpose  of  mutual  instruction,  inspection, 
and  edification.* 

The  word  Church  is  also  employed  in  Scripture 
to  designate  a  Church  Judicatory;  that  is,  the 
Church  assembled  and  acting  by  her  represenla- 
lives,  the  Elders,  chosen  to  inspect,  and  bear  rule 
over  the  whole  body.  This  it  is  believed,  will  be 
evident  to  those  who  impartially  consult  Matthew 
xviii.  15 — 18;  and  compare  the  language  of  the 
original  here,  with  that  of  the  original,  and  the 
Greek  translation  of  the  Seventy,  of  Deuteronomy 
xxxi.  28—30. 

The  visible  Church  is  a  spiritual  body.     That 

*  It  has  been  asserted  by  some,  that  the  term  Church 
not  only  means,  strictly,  a  religious  assembly,  a  body  of 
professing  people ;  but  that  it  eannot  be  applied,  with  pro- 
priety, to  any  thing  else;  and  that  it  is  altotrether  impro- 
per to  apply  it,  as  is  often  done,  to  the  building  in  which 
the  assembly  is  wont  to  convene  for  worship.  This  is, 
undoubtedly,  a  groundless  scruple.  Under  the  Old  7esta- 
ment  economy,  it  is  plain  that  the  word  synagogue  was 
indiscriminately  applied  both  to  the  public  assembly,  and 
to  the  edifice  in  which  they  worshipped.  Besides,  the 
word  Church  is  evidently  derived  from  the  Greek  words, 
Ku^tcu  oiKoc,  "the  house  of  the  Lord;"  and  therefore,  may 
be  considered  as  pointing  quite  as  distinctly  to  the  edifice 
as  to  the  worshippers.  Nay  it  is  highly  probable  that  the 
word  in  its  original  use,  had  a  primary  reference  to  the 
honse  rather  than  to  the  assembly.  And  even  if  it  were 
not  so,  still  the  understanding  and  use  of  the  word  in  this 
double  sense,  if  once  agreed  upon,  cannot  be  considered  as 
liable,  so  far  as  is  perceived,  to  any  particular  objection  or 
.abuse. 


INTRODUCTORY.  J^  5 

is,  it  is  not  secular  or  worldly,  either  in  its  nature 
or  objects.  The  kingdom  of  Christ  "  is  not  of 
this  world."  Its  Head,  laws,  ordinances,  disci- 
pline, penalties,  and  end,  are  all  spiritual.  There 
can  be  no  departure  from  this  principle;  in  other 
words,  there  can  be  no  connexion  between  the 
Church  and  the  Stale;  no  enforcement  of  ecclesi- 
astical laws  by  the  power  of  the  secular  arm,  orby 
"carnal  weapons,"  without  departing  from  "  the 
simplicity  that  is  in  Christ,"  and  invading  both  the 
purity  and  safety  of  his  sacred  body. 

This  great  visible  Church  is  one,  in  all  ages,  and 
throughout  the  world.  From  its  first  formation  in 
the  family  of  Adam,  through  all  the  changes  of 
the  Patriarchal,  Mosaic,  and  Christian  dispensa- 
tions, it  has  been  one  and  the  same;  having  the 
same  divine  head,  the  same  ground  of  hope,  the 
same  essential  characters,  and  the  same  great  de- 
sign. Diversity  of  denomination  does  not  destroy 
this  unity.  All  who  profess  the  true  religion,  to- 
gether with  their  offspring,  however  divided  by 
place,  by  names,  or  by  forms,  are  to  be  considered 
as  equally  belonging  to  that  great  family  denomi- 
nated the  Church.  The  Presbyterian,  the  Epis- 
copalian, the  Methodist,  the  Baptist,  and  the  Inde- 
pendent, who  hold  the  fundamentals  of  our  holy 
religion,  in  whatever  part  of  the  globe  they  may 
reside,  are  all  equally  members  of  the  same  visible 
community  ;  and,  if  they  be  sincere,  will  all  finally 
be  made  partakers  of  its  eternal  blessings.  They 
cannot,  indeed,  all  worship  together  in  the  same 
solemn  assembly,  even  if  they  were  disposed  to  do 
so ;  and  the  sin  and  folly  of  men  have  separated 
into  different  bodies  those  who  ought  to  "  walk 
together."  Still  the  visible  Church  is  one.  All 
who  "hold  the  Head,"  of  course,  belong  to  the 


]  5  INTRODUCTORY. 

body  of  Christ.  "  We,  being  many,"  says  the 
inspired  Apostle,  *' are  one  body  in  Clirist,  and 
every  one  members  one  of  another."  Those  who 
are  imitcd  by  a  sound  profession  to  the  same  al- 
mighty Head;  who  embrace  the  same  "  precious 
faith;"  who  are  sanctified  by  the  same  Spirit; 
who  eat  the  same  spiritual  meat;  who  drink  the 
same  spiritual  drink ;  who  repose  and  rejoice  in  the 
same  promises  ;  and  who  are  travelling  to  the  same 
eternal  rest,  are  surely  one  body;  in  a  sense  more 
richly  significant  than  can  be  ascribed  to  millions 
who  sustain  a  mere  nominal  unity. 

This  unity  is  very  distinctly  recognized,  and 
very  happily  expressed,  by  Cyprian,  a  distin- 
guished Christian  Father  of  the  tiiird  century. 
*'  The  Church,"  says  he,  ♦'  is  one^  which,  by  its 
fruitful  increase,  is  enlarged  into  a  multitude.  As 
the  rays  of  the  sun,  though  many,  are  yet  one  lu- 
minary; as  the  branches  of  a  tree,  though  nume- 
rous, are  all  established  on  one  firmly  rooted  trunk; 
and  as  many  streams  springing  from  the  same 
fountain,  though  apparently  dispersed  abroad  by 
their  overflowing  abundance,  yet  have  their  unity 
preserved  by  one  common  origin ;  so  the  Church, 
though  it  extends  its  rays  throughout  the  world,  is 
one  Light.  Though  every  where  diffused,  its 
unity  is  not  broken.  By  the  abundance  of  its  in- 
crease, it  extends  its  branches  through  the  whole 
earth.  It  spreads  far  and  wide  its  flowing  streams ; 
yet  it  has  one  Head;  one  Fountain;  one  Parent; 
and  is  enriched  and  enlarged  by  the  issues  of  its 
own  fruitfuiness."* 

It  is  ever  also  to  be  borne  in  mind  that  the 
Church  is  not  a  mere  voluntary  association,  with 

*  De  Unitate  Ecclesise.     Sect.  iv. 


INTRODUCTORY.  17 

which  men  are  at  liberty  to  connect  themselves  or 
not,  as  Ihey  please.  For,  although  the  service 
Avhich  God  requires  of  us  is  throughout  a  volun- 
tary one:  although  no  one  can  properly  come  into 
the  Church  but  as  a  matter  of  voluntary  choice: 
although  the  idea  of  either  secular  or  ecclesiastical 
compulsion  is,  here,  at  once  unreasonable  and  con- 
trary to  Scripture:  yet  as  the  Church  is  Christ's 
institution,  and  not  men's;  and  as  the  same  divine 
authority  which  requires  us  to  repent  of  sin,  nnd 
believe  in  Christ,  also  requires  us  to  "  confess  him 
before  men,"  and  to  join  ourselves  to  his  professing 
people;  it  is  evident  that  no  one  is  at  liberty,  in 
the  sight  of  God,  to  neglect  uniting  himself  with 
the  Church.  Man  cannot,  and  ought  not,  to  com- 
pel him ;  but  if  he  refuse  to  fulfil  this  duty,  when 
it  is  in  his  power,  he  rejects  the  authority  of  God. 
He,  of  course,  refuses  at  his  peril. 

Of  this  body,  Christ  alone,  as  before  intimated, 
is  the  Head.  He  only  has  a  right  to  give  laws  to 
his  Church,  or  to  institute  rites  and  ordinances  for 
her  observance.  His  will  is  the  supreme  guide 
of  his  professing  people ;  his  Word  their  code  of 
laws ;  and  his  glory  their  ultimate  end.  The 
authority  of  Church  officers  is  not  original,  but 
subordinate  and  delegated :  that  is,  as  they  are  his 
servants,  and  act  under  his  commission,  and  in  his 
name,  they  have  power  only  to  declare  what  ihe 
Scriptures  reveal  as  his  will,  and  to  pronounce 
sentence  accordingly.  If  they  attempt  to  estab- 
lish any  other  terms  of  communion  than  those 
which  his  word  warrants ;  or  to  undertake  to  ex- 
ercise authority  in  a  manner  which  He  has  not 
authorised,  they  incur  guilt,  and  have  no  right  to 
exact  obedience. 

In  this  sacred  community,  Government  is  ab- 


J  3  INTRODUCTORY. 

soliUely  necessary.  Even  in  the  perfectly  holy 
and  harmonious  society  of  heaven,  there  is  govern- 
ment; that  is,  there  is  law  and  authority,  under 
wliich  the  whole  celestial  family  is  united  in  per- 
fect love,  and  unmingled  enjoyment.  Much  more 
important  and  indispensable  is  government  among 
fallen  depraved  men,  among  whom  "  it  is  impos- 
sible but  that  offences  will  come,"  and  to  whom 
the  discipline  of  Scriptural  and  pure  ecclesiastical 
rule,  is  one  of  the  most  precious  means  of  grace. 
To  think  of  maintaining  any  society,  ecclesiastical 
or  civil,  without  government,  in  this  depraved 
world,  would  be  to  contradict  every  principle  of 
reason  and  experience,  as  well  as  of  Scripture: 
and  to  think  of  supporting  government  without 
oflicers,  to  whom  its  functions  may  be  intrusted, 
would  be  to  embrace  the  absurd  hope  of  obtaining 
an  end  without  the  requisite  means. 

The  question.  Whether  any  particular  form 
of  Church  government  is  so  laid  down  in  Scrip- 
ture, as  that  the  claim  of  divine  right  may  be  ad- 
vanced on  its  behalf,  and  that,  of  consequence,  the 
Church  is  bound,  in  all  ages,  to  adopt  and  act  upon 
it; — will  not  now  be  formally  discussed.  It  lias 
been  made  the  subject  of  too  much  extended  and 
ardent  controversy,  to  be  brought  within  the  com- 
pass of  a  few  sentences,  or  even  a  few  pages.  It 
may  not  be  improper,  however,  briefly  to  say,  that 
it  would,  indeed,  have  been  singular,  if  a  com- 
munity, called  out  of  the  world,  and  organized 
under  the  peculiar  authority  of  the  all- wise  Re- 
deemer, had  been  left  entirely  without  any  direc- 
tion as  to  its  government:— That  the  Scriptures, 
undoubtedly,  exhibit  to  us  a  form  of  ecclesiatical 
organization  and  rule,  which  was,  in /ac/,  insti- 
tuted by  the  Apostles,  under  the  direction  of  in- 


INTRODUCTORY. 


19 


finite  Wisdom : — That  this  form  was  evidently 
taken,  with  very  little  alteration,  from  the  pre- 
ceding Economy,  thus  giving  additional  presump- 
tion in  its  favour: — That  we  find  the  same  plan 
closely  copied  by  the  churches  for  a  considerable 
time  after  the  apostolic  age: — That  it  continued 
to  be  in  substance  the  chosen  and  universal  form 
of  government  in  the  Church,  until  corruption, 
both  in  doctrine  and  practice,  had,  through  the 
ambition  and  degeneracy  of  ecclesiastics,  gained  a 
melancholy  prevalence  : — And,  that  the  same  form 
was  also  substantially  maintained  by  the  moat 
faithful  witnesses  for  the  truth,  during  the  dark 
ages — until  the  great  body  of  the  Reformers  took  it 
from  their  hands,  and  established  it  in  their  re- 
spective ecclesiastical  connexions. 

'J'hese  premises  would  appear  abundantly  to 
warrant  the  conclusion,  that  the  form  of  Govern- 
ment which  answers  this  description,  is  the  wisest 
and  best;  that  it  is  adapted  to  all  ages  and  slates  of 
society ;  and  that  it  is  agreeable  to  the  will  of 
Christ  that  it  be  universally  received  in  his  Church. 
All  this  the  writer  of  the  following  Essay  fully  be- 
lieves may  he  established  in  favour  of  Presby- 
terianism.  There  seems  no  reason,  however,  to 
believe,  with  some  zealous  votaries  of  the  hier- 
archy, that  any  particular  form  of  government  is 
in  so  rigorous  a  sense  of  diinne  right,  as  to  be 
essential  to  the  existence  of  the  Church;  so  that 
where  this  form  is  wanting,  there  can  be  no 
Church.  To  adopt  this  opinion,  is  to  take  a  very 
narrow  and  unscriptural  view  of  the  covenant  of 
grace.  After  yielding  to  the  visible  Church  and 
its  ordinances,  all  the  importance  which  the 
word  of  God  warrants,  still  it  cannot  be  doubted, 
that  on  the  one  hand,   men  in   regular  external 


20  INTRODrCTORY. 

membership  wiih  the  purest  Church  on  earth,  may 
be  hypocrites,  and  perish;  and  on  the  other,  that 
all  who  cordially  repent  of  sin,  and  receive  the 
Saviour  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  will  assuredly  ob- 
tain eternal  life,  although  they  never  enjoyed  the 
privilege  of  a  connexion  with  any  portion  of  the 
visible  Church  on  earth.  Tiie  tenor  of  the  Gos- 
pel covenant  is — He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  of 
God  hath  eternal  life,  and  shall  not  come  into  con- 
demnation, but  is  passed  from  death  unto  life;  but 
he  that  believeth  not  the  Son,  shall  not  see  life, 
but  the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him. 

Still  it  is  plain,  from  the  word  of  God,  as  well  as 
from  uniform  experience,  that  the  government  of 
the  Church  is  a  matter  of  great  importance;  that 
the  form  as  well  as  the  adminht ration  of  that 
government  is  more  vitally  connected  with  the 
peace,  purity,  and  edification  of  the  Church,  than 
many  Christians  appear  to  believe;  and,  of  con- 
sequence, that  it  is  no  small  part  of  fidelity  to  our 
Master  in  heaven  to  "  hold  fast"  the  form  of  eccle- 
siastical order,  as  well  as  the  "  form  of  sound 
words"  which  He  has  delivered  to  the  saints. 

The  existence  of  ecclesiastical  Rulers,  presup- 
poses the  existence  and  exercise  of  ecclesiastical 
power.  A  few  remarks  on  the  nature,  source,  and 
limits  of  this  power,  may  not  be  irrelevant  as  a 
part  of  this  preliminary  discussion. 

When  we  speak  of  ecclesiastical  power,  then,  we 
speak  of  that  which,  much  as  it  is  misunderstood, 
and  deplorably  as  it  has  been  perverted  and  abused, 
is  plainly  warranted,  both  by  reason  and  Scripture. 
In  fact,  it  is  a  prerogative  which  common  sense 
assigns  and  secures  to  all  organized  society,  from 
a  family  to  a  nation.     The  doctrine  attempted  to 


INTRODUCTORY.  2 1 

be  maintained  by  the  celebrated  Erastus,  in  his 
woriv,  I)e  Excommunicalione^  viz  :  that  the  exer- 
cise of  all  Church  power,  liowever  modified,  is  to 
be  rejected,  as  forming  an  impcrium  in  iinpcriu, 
is  one  of  the  most  weak  and  untenable  of  all  posi- 
tions. The  same  argument  would  preclude  all 
authority  or  government  subordinate  to  that  of  the 
State,  whether  domestic,  academical,  or  financial. 
The  truth  is,  there  not  only  may  be,  but  there 
actually  are  thousands  of  imperia  in  imperio^  in 
every  civil  community  in  the  world;  and  all  this 
without  the  least  danger  or  inconvenience,  as  long 
as  the  smaller  or  subordinate  governments  main- 
tain their  proper  place,  and  do  not  claim,  or  at- 
tempt to  exercise,  powers,  which  come  in  col- 
lision with  those  of  the  State. 

Now  the  power  exercised  by  the  Church  is  of 
this  character.  Christ  is  the  Sovereign.  His  king- 
dom is  spiritual.  It  interferes  not  with  civil  go- 
gernment.  It  may  exist  and  flourish  under  any  form 
of  political  administration  ;  and  always  fiires  best 
when  entirely  left  to  itself,  without  the  interference 
of  the  civil  magistrate.  Accordingly,  it  is  noto- 
rious, that  the  power  of  which  we  speak,  was  exer- 
cised by  the  Church,  in  the  days  of  the  Apostles, 
and  during  the  first  three  centuries  of  the  Christian 
era,  not  only  without  any  aid  from  the  secular 
arm,  but  while  all  the  civil  governments  of  the 
world  were  firmly  leagued  agamst  her,  and  follow- 
ing her  with  the  bitterest  persecution.  But  liie 
moment  the  Church  became  allied  with  the  Slate, 
that  moment  the  influence  of  each  on  the  other 
became  manifestly  mischievous.  The  State  en- 
riched, pampered  and  corrupted  the  Church;  and 
the  Church,  in  her  turn,  gradually  extended  her 
power  over  the  State,  until  she  claimed,  and  in 


22  INTRODUCTORY. 

some  instances  gained,  a  haughty  supremacy  over 
all  rulers  and  governments.  'J'tiis  is  an  ecclesiasti- 
cal power  which  the  Bible  no  where  recognises  or 
allows.  It  is  the  essence  of  spiritual  usurpation  ; 
and  can  never  have  a  place  but  where  the  essential 
character  of  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  is  misap- 
prehended or  forgotten.  This  abominable  tyran- 
ny, so  long  and  so  wickedly  maintained  in  the 
name  of  the  meek  and  lowly  Saviour,  who,  instead 
of  countenancing,  always  condemned  it; — has  pre- 
judiced the  minds  of  many  against  ecclesiastical 
power  in  any  form.  On  account  of  this  prejudice 
it  is  judged  proper  to  slate,  with  some  degree  of 
distinctness,  what  we  mean  when  we  speak  of  the 
Church  of  Christ  as  being  invested  with  power  for 
the  benefit  of  her  members,  and  for  the  glory  of  her 
almighty  Head. 

It  is  evident  that  even  if  the  Church  were  a  mere 
voluntary  association,  which  neither  possessed  nor 
claimed  any  divine  warrant,  it  would  have  the  same 
powers  which  are  universally  conceded  to  all  other 
voluntary  associations;  that  is,  the  power  of  form- 
ing its  own  rules,  of  judging  of  the  qualifications 
of  its  own  members,  and  of  admitting  or  excluding, 
as  the  essential  principles  and  interests  of  the  body 
might  require;  and  all  this  as  long  as  neither  the 
rules  themselves,  nor  the  execution  of  them,  in- 
fringed the  laws  of  the  State,  or  violated  any  public 
or  private  rights.  When  a  Literary,  Philosophi- 
cal, or  Agricultural  Society  claims  and  exercises 
powers  of  this  kind,  all  reflecting  people  consider 
it  as  both  reasonable  and  safe  ;  and  would  no  more 
think  of  denying  the  right  to  do  so,  than  they 
would  think  of  denying  that  the  father  of  a  family 
had  a  right  to  govern  his  own  household,  as  long 


INTRODUCTORY.  0.3 

as  he  neither  transgressed  any  law  of  the  Slate,  nor 
invaded  the  peace  of  his  neighbours. 

But  the  Christian  Church  is  by  no  means  to  be 
considered  as  a  mere  voluntary  association.  It  is 
a  Body  called  out  of  the  world,  created  by  divine 
institution,  and  created,  as  its  members  believe,  for 
the  express  purpose  of  bearing  testimony  for  Christ, 
in  the  midst  of  a  revolted  and  rebellious  world, 
and  maintaining  in  their  purity  the  truth  and  ordi- 
nances which  He  has  appointed-  The  members 
of  this  body,  therefore,  by  the  act  of  uniting  them- 
selves with  it,  profess  to  believe  certain  doctrines, 
to  be  under  obligation  to  perform  certain  duties, 
and  to  be  bound  to  possess  a  certain  character.  Of 
course,  the  very  purpose  for  which,  and  the  very 
terms  on  which  the  Master  has  formed  this  body, 
and  bound  its  members  together,  necessarily  imply, 
not  only  the  right,  but  the  duty,  of  refusing  to  ad- 
mit those  who  are  manifestly  hostile  to  the  essen- 
tial principles  of  its  institution,  and  of  casting  out 
those  who,  after  their  admission,  as  manifestly  de- 
part from  those  principles.  To  suppose  less  than 
this,  would  be  to  suppose  that  a  God  of  infinite  wis- 
dom has  withheld  from  a  body,  formed  for  a  certain 
purpose,  that  which  is  absolutely  necessary  for  its 
defence  against  intrusion,  insult,  and  perversion ; 
in  other  words,  for  its  own  preservation. 

Hence  the  Apostle  Paul,  after  the  New  Testa- 
ment Church  was  erected,  speaks  (1  Cor.  xii.  28.) 
of  "governments,"  as  well  as  "teachers"  being 
*'  set  in  it"  by  the  authority  of  God.  He  expressly 
claims,  (2  Cor.  x.  8.)  an  "  authority"  which  God 
had  given  to  his  servants  as  rulers  in  the  Church, 
"for  edification,  and  not  for  destruction."  And  he 
exemplifies  this  authority  by  representing  it  as  pro- 
perly exercised  iu  casting  out  of  the  Church,  any 


24  INTRODUCTORY. 

one  who  was  immoral  or  profane;  (1  Cor.  v.) 
Hence  the  officers  of  the  Church  are  spoken  of  as 
*' guides,"  (>!7«y^fr«/)  "overseers,"  or  "bishops" 
[ircto-Kortti)  and  "  rulers,"  (n^otaT^Tj?:) — and 'it  is 
declared  lo  be  their  duty,  not  only  to  instruct,  warn, 
and  entreat;  but  also  to  "rebuke,"  or  authorita- 
tively to  admonish  aiid  censure.  They  were  com- 
manded by  the  authority  of  the  Head  of  the  Church 
(1  Cor.  V. ;  Tit.  iii.  10,)  to  "  reject,"  to  "  put  away 
from  them,"  after  using  proper  admonition,  those 
who  were  grossly  heretical  or  immoral.  In  short, 
in  that  period  of  gospel  simplicity,  and  purity,  the 
Church  claimed  no  authority  over  any  but  her  own 
members;  and  even  over  them,  no  other  authority 
than  that  which  related  lo  their  character,  duties, 
and  interests  as  members,  and  was  deemed  essen- 
tial lo  her  own  well-being. 

And  as  this  power  of  the  Church  is  not  self- 
created  or  self-assumed,  but  derived  from  her  gra- 
cious and  almighty  Head  ;  and  as  it  is,  and  can,  of 
right,  only  be,  exercised  over  her  own  members; 
so  it  is  merely  spiritual  in  its  nature;  in  other 
words,  it  claims  no  right  whatever  to  inflict  tem- 
poral pains  or  penalties.  It  cannot  touch  the  per- 
sons or  property  of  those  lo  whom  it  is  directed. 
It  addresses  itself  only  to  their  judgments  and  con- 
sciences. It  includes  only  a  right  to  instruct, 
warn,  rebuke,  censure,  and  cast  out,  that  is,  to  ex- 
clude from  the  privileges  of  the  body.  This  last 
step,  is  the  utmost  length  to  which  it  can  go. 
When  the  Church  has  excluded  from  her  pale  those 
toward  whom  this  power  is  directed ;  in  other 
words,  when  she  has  declared  them  out  of  her  com- 
munion or  fellowship,  she  has  done  every  thing  to 
which  her  power  extends.  All  beyond  this  is  usur- 
pation and  oppression.     The  great  end  of  Church 


INTRODUCTORY.  25 

Government,  is  not  to  employ  physical  force;  but 
moral  weapons  only.  It  can  never  invade  the  right 
of  private  judgment.  It  can  never  exert  its  power 
over  any  but  tliose  wlio  voluntarily  submit  to  it. 
And  it  prescribes  no  sanctions  but  those  which  have 
for  their  object  the  moral  benefit  of  the  body  itself, 
and  also  of  the  individuals  to  whom  they  are  award- 
ed. The  gospel  knows  nothing  of  delivering  men 
over  to  the  secular  arm,  to  be  punished  for  offences 
against  the  Church.  The  Church  might,  there- 
fore, exert  her  whole  power,  in  its  plenary  extent, 
though  all  the  governments  of  the  world  were  ar- 
rayed against  her  in  the  bitterest  hostility,  as  they 
have  once  been  and  as  they  may  again  be  found. 

And,  as  all  the  power  of  the  Church  is  derived, 
not  from  the  civil  government,  but  from  Christ,  the 
almighty  King  of  Zion;  and  as  it  is  purely  spi- 
ritual in  its  nature  and  sanctions;  so  the  power  of 
Church  Officers  is  merely  ministerial.  They  are, 
strictly,  servants,  who  are  to  be  governed,  in  all 
things,  by  the  pleasure  of  their  employer.  They 
have  only  authority  to  announce  what  the  Master 
has  said,  and  to  decide  agreeably  to  that  will  which 
he  has  made  known  in  nis  word.  Like  ambassa- 
dors at  a  foreign  court,  they  cannot  go  one  jot  or 
tittle  beyond  their  instructions.  Of  course,  they 
have  no  right  to  set  up  a  law  of  their  own.  The 
Bible  is  the  great  Statute-Book  of  the  body  of 
which  we  speak ;  the  only  infallible  rule  of  faith 
and  practice.  And  nothing  can  be  rightfully  incul- 
cated on  the  members  of  the  Church,  as  truth,  or 
demanded  of  them,  as  duty,  but  that  which  is  found 
in  that  great  charter  of  the  privileges  as  well  as  the 
obligations  of  Christians. 

To  complete  the  view  of  that  ecclesiastical  power 


26  INTRODUCTORY. 

which  we  consider  as  implied  in  Church  govern- 
ment, it  is  only  necessary  to  add,  that  it  is  given 
solely  for  the  benefit  of  the  Church,  and  not  for  the 
aggrandizement  of  Church  officers.  Tyrants  in 
civil  government  have  taught,  and  acted  upon  the 
principle,  that  the  great  end  of  all  political  estab- 
lishments, is  the  exaltation  of  a  few  at  the  expense 
of  the  many.  And  it  is  deeply  to  be  deplored  that 
the  same  principle  has  been  too  often  apparently 
adopted  by  bodies  calling  themselves  Churches  of 
Christ.  Nothing  can  be  more  opposite  than  this, 
to  the  spirit  and  law  of  the  Redeemer.  The  "  au- 
thority" which  the  Apostle  claims  as  existing,  and 
to  be  exercised  in  the  Church,  he  represents 
(2  Cor.  X.  8,)  as  given  "  for  edification,  and  not 
for  destruction."  Not  for  the  purpose  of  creating 
and  pampering  classes  of  "  privileged  orders,"  to 
*' lord  it  over  God's  heritage;"  not  to  build  up  a 
system  of  polity,  which  may  minister  to  the  pride 
or  the  cupidity  of  an  ambitious  priesthood;  not  to 
form  a  body,  under  the  tide  of  clergy,  with  sepa- 
rate interests  from  the  laity  of  the  Church.  All 
this  is  as  wicked  as  it  is  unreasonable.  No  office, 
no  power  is  appointed  by  Jesus  Christ  in  his 
Church,  but  that  which  is  necessary  to  the  instruc- 
tion, the  purity,  and  the  happiness  of  the  whole 
body.  All  legitimate  government  here,  as  well  as 
elsewhere,  is  to  be  considered  as  a  means,  not  an 
end;  and  as  no  further  resting  on  divine  authority, 
than  we  can  say  in  support  of  all  its  claims  and 
acts,  "  thus  saith  the  Lord;"  than  it  is  adapted  to 
build  up  the  great  family  of  those  who  profess  the 
true  religion,  in  knowledge,  peace,  and  holiness 
unto  salvation. 

The  summary  of  the  doctrine  of  Presbyterians, 


INTRODUCTORY.  27 


tlien,  "concerning  ecclesiasiical  power,  may  be  con- 
sidered as  comprehended  in  the  following  propo- 
sitions: 

1.  That  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  the  only  King 
and  Head  of  the  Church,  tlie  Fountain  of  all  power  ; 
and  that  no  man  or  set  of  men,  have  any  right  to 
consider  themselves  as  holding  the  place  of  his  vi- 
car, or  representative. 

2.  That  the  Bible  contains  the  code  of  laws 
which  Christ  has  enacted,  and  given  for  the  go- 
vernment of  his  Church;  and  that  it  is  the  only 
infallible  rule  of  faith  and  practice. 

3.  That  his  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world  ;  and 
of  course,  that  the  Church  can  take  no  cognizance 
of  any  other  concerns  than  those  which  relate  to 
the  spiritual  interests  of  men. 

4.  That  the  power  of  Church  officers  is  not  ori- 
ginal, or  inherent,  but  altogether  derived  and  mi- 
nisterial. They  have  no  other  authority  than,  as 
his  servants,  and  in  his  name,  to  proclaim  the  truth 
which  he  has  declared,  and  to  urge  to  the  perform- 
ance of  those  duties  which  he  has  commanded. 

5.  That  nothing  can  be  lawfully  required  of  any 
one  as  a  member  of  the  Church,  excepting  what  is 
expressly  taught  in  Scripture  ;  or,  by  good  and  ne- 
cessary consequence  to  be  inferred  from  what  is 
expressly  taught  there. 

6.  That  the  Church  being  instituted  by  Christ 
for  the  chief  purpose  of  maintaining  in  their  purity 
the  doctrines  and  ordinances  of  Christ,  is  authorized 
and  bound  by  Him  to  refuse  admission  to  her  fel- 
lowship those  who  are  known  to  be  hostile  to  this 
purpose,  and  to  exclude  such  as  are  found  to  offend 
against  this  purpose  after  admission. 

7.  That  the  discipline  and  penalties  of  the 
Church  are  wholly  of  a  moral  kind,  consisting  of 


23  INTRODUCTORY. 

admonition,  entreaty,  warning,  suspension,  and 
excommunication;  and  that  exclusion  from  tlie 
fellowsliip  of  the  body,  is  the  highest  penalty  that 
can  be  inflicted  on  any  delinquent. 

8.  That  the  apostolic  Church,  though  under  the 
bitterest  persecution,  was  instructed  by  the  inspired 
Apostles,  to  exercise  the  power  mentioned,  and  did 
actually  exercise  the  same  ;  and  is  to  be  considered 
as  therein  exemplifying  and  teaching  the  principles 
which  ought  to  regulate  the  Church  in  all  ages. 

9.  That  the  Church  can  exercise  no  authority 
over  any  others  than  her  own  members. 

10.  That  none  can  be  compelled  to  be  members, 
or  to  submit  to  her  authority  any  longer  than  they 
choose  to  do  so. 

11.  That  the  authority  of  the  Church  cannot  be 
lawfully  exercised  for  any  other  purpose  than  to 
promote  the  purity,  order,  and  edification  of  the 
whole  body ;  and  that  of  course,  any  exercise  of 
Church  power  which  has  for  its  object  the  aggran- 
dizement of  ecclesiastics,  at  the  expense  of  the  body 
of  the  Church,  is  an  unscriptural  abuse.     And, 

12.  Finally ;  that  all  civil  establishments  of  reli- 
gion, in  any  form,  or  under  any  denomination,  are 
wrong;  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  Christianity;  in- 
jurious to  the  best  interests  of  the  Church ;  and 
really  more  to  be  deprecated  by  the  enlightened 
friends  of  piety,  than  the  most  sanguinary  perse- 
cution that  can  be  inflicted  by  the  arm  of  power. 

In  every  Church  completely  organized,  that  is, 
furnished  with  all  the  oflicers  which  Christ  has  in- 
stituted, and  which  are  necessary  for  carrying  into 
full  effect  the  laws  of  his  kingdom,  there  ought  to 
be  three  classes  of  oflnicers,  viz  :  at  least  one  Teach- 
ing Elder,  Bishop,  or  Pastor ;  a  bench  of  Ruling 


INTRODUCTORY.  OQ 

Elders,  and  Deacons.  The  first  to  "  minister  in 
the  Word  and  Doctrine,"  and  to  dispense  the  Sa- 
craments; the  second  to  assist  in  the  inspection 
and  government  of  the  Church;  and  the  third  lo 
*'  serve  tables  ;"  that  is,  to  lake  care  of  the  Cliurch's 
funds  destined  for  the  support  of  the  poor,  and 
sometimes  to  manage  whatever  relates  to  the  tem- 
poral support  of  the  gospel  and  its  ministers. 

The  following  Essay  will  be  devoted  to  the  con- 
sideration of  the  second  class  of  these  officers, 
namely,  ruling  elders;  and  the  points  which  it  is 
proposed  more  particularly  to  discuss,  are  the  fol- 
lowing: the  Church's  warrant  for  this  class  of 
officers;  the  nature,  design,  and  duties  of  the  of- 
fice itself;  the  qualifications  proper  for  those  who 
bear  it;  the  distinction  between  this  office,  and 
that  of  deacons;  by  whom  Ruling  Elders  ought  to 
be  elected  ;  in  what  manner  they  should  be  or- 
dained ;  the  principles  which  ought  to  regulate 
their  withdrawing  or  being  deposed  from  office, 
removing  from  one  Church  to  another,  &c. ;  and, 
finally,  the  advantages  attending  this  form  of  go- 
vernment in  the  Church. 

The  question,  whether  the  Church  has  any 
warrant  for  this  class  of  officers,  will  have  difTer- 
ent  degrees  of  importance  attached  to  it  by  different 
persons.  Those  who  believe  that  no  form  of  Church 
government  whatever  can  justly  claim  to  be,  in  any 
sense,  of  divine  right,  will,  of  course,  consider  this 
inquiry  as  of  small  moment.  If  the  Church  be 
at  perfect  liberty,  at  all  times,  to  adopt  what  form 
of  government  she  pleases,  and  to  modify,  or  en- 
tirely to  change  the  same  at  pleasure;  then  no 
other  warrant  than  her  own  convenience  or  will, 
ought  to  be  required.  But  if  the  writer  of  the  fol- 
lowing pages  be  correct  in  believing,  that  there  is 
3 


30  INTRODUCTORY. 

a  form  of  government  for  the  family  of  God  laid 
down  in  Scripture,  to  which  it  is  the  chity  of  the 
Church,  in  all  ages,  to  conform;  then  the  inquiry 
which  it  is  the  purpose  of  several  of  the  succeed- 
ing chapters  to  pursue,  is  plainly  important,  and 
demands  our  serious  attention. 

It  is  believed,  then,  that  the  following  positions, 
in  reference  to  the  office  now  under  consideration, 
may  be  firmly  maintained,  viz  :  That  under  the 
Old  Testament  economy  in  general,  and  especially 
in  the  Synagogue  service,  Elders  were  invariably 
appointed  to  exercise  authority  and  bear  rule  in 
ecclesiastical  society; — That  similar  Elders,  after 
the  model  of  the  Synagogue,  were  appointed  in 
the  primitive  (church,  under  the  direction  of  in- 
spired Apostles ; — That  we  find  in  the  writings  of 
some  of  the  early  Fathers,  evident  traces  of  the 
same  office  as  existing  in  their  times  ; — That  the 
Waldenses,  and  other  pious  witnesses  for  the  truth, 
during  the  dark  ages,  retained  this  class  of  officers 
in  the  Church,  as  a  divine  institution ; — That  the 
Reformers,  with  very  few  exceptions,  when  they 
separated  from  the  corruptions  of  Popery,  restored 
this  office  to  the  Church ; — That  a  number  of  dis- 
tinguished divines  and  Churches,  not  otherwise 
Presbyterian,  who  have  flourished  since  the  Re- 
formation, have  remarkably  concurred  in  declaring 
for  the  same  office; — and,  finally,  that  Ruling 
Elders,  or  officers  of  a  similar  kind,  are  indispen- 
sably necessary  in  every  well  ordered  congrega- 
tion. Each  of  these  topics  of  argument  is  entitled 
to  separate  consideration. 


31 


CHAPTER  II. 

TESTIMONY    FROM   THE   ORDER    OF  THE   OLD  TESTAME>T 
CHURCH. 

It  is  impossible  fully  to  understand  either  the 
spirit,  the  facts,  or  the  nomenclature  of  the  New 
Testament,  without  going  back  to  the  Old.  The 
Christian  religion  is  founded  upon  that  of  the  Jews ; 
or  rather  is  the  completion  of  it.  The  latter  was 
the  infancy  and  adolescence  of  that  body  of  which 
the  former  is  the  manhood.  And  it  is  remarkable, 
that  no  class  of  theologians  more  strenuously  con- 
tend for  the  connexion  between  the  Jewish  and 
Christian  economies,  and  the  impracticability  of 
taking  intelligent  views  of  the  one,  without  some 
previous  knowledge  of  the  other,  than  most  of 
those  who  deny  the  apostolic  origin  of  the  class  of 
officers  now  under  consideration.  With  all  such 
persons,  then,  we  join  issue.  And,  as  a  very  large 
part  of  the  titles  and  functions  of  ecclesiastical 
officers  were,  evidently,  transmitted  from  the  cere- 
monial to  the  spiritual  economy,  it  is  indispensably 
necessary,  in  order  fully  to  understand  their  cha- 
racter, to  go  back  to  their  source. 

The  term  Elder,  corresponding  with  ]pt,  in  He- 
brew, and  TT^^a^vre^of,  in  Greek,  literally  signifies 
an  aged  person.  Among  the  Jews,  and  the  eastern 
nations  generally,  persons  advanced  in  life  were 
commonly  selected  to  fill  stations  of  dignity  and 
authority,  because  they  were  supposed  to  possess 
most  wisdom,  gravity,  prudence,  and  experience. 
From  this  circumstance,  the  term  Elder,  became, 
in  process  of  time,  and  by  a  natural  association  of 


32  TESTIMONY    FROM    THE 

ideas,  an  established  title  of  office.*  Accordingly, 
the  Jews  gave  this  title  to  most  of  their  offices, 
civil  as  well  as  ecclesiastical,  long  before  Syna- 
gogues were  established.  From  the  time  of 
Moses,  they  had  elders  over  the  nation,  as  well  as 
over  every  city,  and  smaller  community.  These 
are  repeatedly  represented  as  inspectors,  and  rulers 
of  the  people  ;  as  "officers  set  over  them  ;"  and,  in- 
deed, throughout  their  history,  there  is  every  rea- 
son to  believe  that  the  body  of  the  people  never, 
themselves,  exercised  governmental  acts  ;  but  chose 
their  Elders,  to  whom  all  the  details  of  judicial  and 
executive  authority,  under  their  divine  Legislator 
and  Sovereign,  were  constantly  committed. 

The  following  specimen  of  the  representation 
given  on  this  subject,  in  various  parts  of  the  Old 
Testnment,  will  suffice,  at  once,  to  illustrate  and 
establish  what  is  here  advanced.  Even  while  the 
children  of  Israel  were  in  Egypt,  they  seem  to  have 
had  Elders,  in  the  official  sense  of  the  word ;  for 
Jehovah,  in  sending  Moses  to  deliver  them,  said, 
Go,  and  gather  the  Elders  of  Israel  together,  and 
say  unto  them,  the  Lord  hath  visited  you,  and  hath 
seen  what  is  done  to  you  in  Egypt ;  Exodus  iii.  16. 

*  It  has  been  often  remarked,  that  the  ancient  official 
use  of  this  word,  as  implying  wisdom  and  experience,  is 
still  preserved  in  many  modern  languages,  in  which  Seig- 
neur, Signior,  Senator,  and  other  similar  words,  are  used 
to  express  both  dignity  and  authority.  It  is  evident  that 
all  these  words,  and  some  others  which  might  be  mention- 
ed, are  derivatives  from  the  Latin  word  Senior.  It  is  no 
less  plain,  that  the  title  of  the  Magistrates  of  Cities  and 
Boroughs,  who  are  called  Aldermen  or  Eldermen,  is  from 
the  same  origin  with  our  modern  term  Elder.  Many  of 
the  titles  of  respect,  both  in  the  Eastern  and  Western 
world,  were  it  proper  to  take  time  for  the  purpose,  might 
be  traced  beyond  all  doubt  to  a  similar  source. 


OLD    TESTAMENT    CHURCH.  33 

In  the  wilderness,  the  Elders  of  Israel  are  spoken 
of  as  called  together  by  Moses,  appealed  to  by- 
Moses,  and  officially  acting  under  that  divinely 
commissioned  leader,  on  occasions  almost  innume- 
rable. These  elders  appear  to  have  been  of  dif- 
ferent grades,  and  endowed,  of  course,  with  differ- 
ent powers  ;  Exod.  xvii.  5 ;  xviii.  12 ;  xxiv.  1.9; 
Numbers  xi.  16 ;  Deut.  xxv.  7 — 9 ;  xxix.  10  ;  xxxi. 
9.  28.  From  these  and  other  passages,  it  would 
seem,  they  had  seventy  Elders  over  the  nation  ; 
and  besides  these,  Elders  over  thousands,  over 
hundreds,  over  fifiies,  and  over  tens,  who  were  all 
charged  with  inspection  and  rule  in  their  respective 
spheres.  Again,  we  find  inspectors  and  rulers  of 
the  people,  under  the  name  of  Elders,  existing,  and 
on  all  public  occasions,  acting  in  their  official  cha- 
racter, in  the  time  of  Joshua  ;  during  the  period  of 
the  judges;  under  the  kings,  especially  during  the 
most  favoured  and  happy  season  of  their  kingly 
dominion  ;  probably  during  the  captivity  in  Baby- 
lon ;  and,  beyond  all  doubt,  as  soon  as  they  return- 
ed from  captivity,  and  became  setUed  in  their  own 
land ;  until  the  Synagogue  system  was  regularly 
established  as  the  stated  means  of  popular  instruc- 
tion and  worship. 

When  the  Synagogue  service  was  instituted,  is 
a  question  which  has  been  so  much  controverted, 
and  is  of  so  much  real  uncertainty  that  the  dis- 
cussion of  it  will  not  be  attempted  in  this  place, 
especially  as  it  is  a  question  of  no  sort  of  impor- 
tance in  the  inquiry  now  before  us.  All  that  it  is 
necessary  for  us  to  assume,  is  that  it  existed,  at  the 
time  of  our  Lord's  advent,  and  for  a  considerable 
time  before;  and  that  the  .Tews  had  been  long  ac- 
customed to  its  order  and  worship  ;  which  no  one, 
it  is  presumed,  will  think  of  questioning.     Now, 


34  TESTIMONY  FROM  THE 

whatever  might  have  been  its  origin,  nothing  can 
be  more  certain,  than  that,  from  the  earliest  notices 
we  have  of  the  institution,  and  through  its  whole 
history,  its  leading  officers  consisted  of  a  bench  of 
Elders,  who  were  appointed  to  bear  rule  in  the 
congregation;  who  formed  a  kind  of  Consistory, 
or  ecclesiastical  judicatory  ; — to  receive  applicants 
for  admission  into  the  Church  ;  to  watch  over  the 
people,  as  well  in  reference  to  tlieir  morals,  as  their 
obedience  to  ceremonial  and  ecclesiastical  order; 
to  administer  discipline  when  necessary;  and,  in 
short,  as  the  representatives  of  the  Church  or  con- 
gregation, to  act  in  their  name  and  behalf;  to 
"  bind"  and  "  loose  ;"  and  to  see  that  every  thing 
was  "  done  decently  and  in  order." 

It  is  not  forgotten  that  a  few  eminent  writers, 
following  the  celebrated  German  errorist,  Erastus, 
have  contended  that  there  was  no  ecclesiastical  go- 
vernment among  the  Jews  distinct  from  the  civil; 
and  that,  of  course,  there  were  no  rulers  of  the  Syna- 
gogue, separate  from  the  civil  judges.  Tiiose  who 
wish  to  see  this  error  satisfactorily  refuted,  and  the 
existence  of  a  distinct  ecclesiastical  government 
among  that  people  clearly  established,  may  con- 
sult what  has  been  written  on  the  subject,  by  the 
learned  Gillespie,*  by  professor  Rutherford,t  by 
Bishop  Stillingfleet,:}:  and  others  ;  from  whose  writ- 
ings they  will  be  convinced,  beyond  all  reasonable 
doubt,  that  the  civil  and  ecclesiastical  judicatories 
were  really  distinct ;  that  the  persons  composing 
each,  as  well  as  their  respective  spheres  of  judg- 
ment were  peculiar;    and  that  the  latter  existed 

*  Aaron's  Rod,  &c.  Lond.  4to.  1646. 
t  Divine  Right  of  Church  Government,  &c.  Lond.  4to. 
1646. 

t  Irenicum.  Part.  2.  Chapter  6. 


OLD    TESTAMENT    CHURCH.  35 

long  after  ihe  civil  sovereignty  of  the  Jewish  people 
was  taken  away. 

There  has  been,  indeed,  much  diversity  of  opi- 
nion among  learned  men,  concerning  a  variety  of 
questions  which  arise  in  reference  to  these  Elders 
of  the  Synagogue.  As,  for  example,  whether  there 
was  a  difference  of  rank  among  them  ?  Whether 
some  were  teachers  as  well  as  rulers,  and  others 
rulers  only?  Whether  there  was  any  diversity  in 
their  ordination,  &c.,  &c.  ?  But  w^hile  eminent 
writers  on  Jewish  antiquities  liave  differed,  and 
continue  to  diff'er,  in  relation  to  these  points,  they 
are  all  perfectly  agreed  in  one  point,  namely,  that 
in  every  Synagogue  there  was  a  bench  of  Elders, 
consisting  of  at  least  three  persons,  who  were 
charged  with  the  whole  inspection,  government, 
and  discipline  of  the  Synagogue;  who,  as  a  court 
or  bench  of  rulers,  received,  judged,  censured,  ex- 
cluded, and,  in  a  word,  performed  every  judicial 
act,  necessary  to  the  regularity  and  welfare  of  the 
congregation.  In  this  general  fact,  Vitringa,  Sel- 
den,  Voetius,  Marck,  Grotius,  Lightfoot,  Blondel, 
Salmasius,  and,  indeed,  so  far  as  I  can  now  recol- 
lect, all  the  writers  on  this  subject,  who  deserve  to 
be  represented  as  high  authorities,  substantially 
agree.  And  in  support  of  this  fact,  they  quote 
Philo,  Josephus,  Maimonides,  Benjamin  of  Tudela, 
and  the  great  mass  of  other  Jewish  witnesses,  who 
are  considered  as  holding  the  first  rank  among  Rab- 
binical authorities.  Indeed,  they  speak  of  the  fact 
as  too  unquestionable  to  demand  any  formal  array 
of  testimony  for  its  confirmation.* 

*  When  the  unanimous  agreement  of  these  learned 
writers  is  asserted,  it  is  not  meant  to  be  alleged  that  they 
all  entertain  the  same  views  of  the  Elders  of  the  Syna- 
gogue, as  to  all  particulars;  but  simply  that  they  all  unite 


TESTIMONY  FROM  THE 


Accordingly,  we  find  various  passages  in  the 
New  Testament  history,  which  refer  to  tliese  Ruling 
Elders,  as  belonging  to  the  old  economy,  then 
drawing  to  a  close,  and  which  admit,  it  would  ap- 
pear, of  no  other  interpretation  than  that  which 
supposes  their  existence.  The  following  specimen 
will  suffice ;  Mark,  v.  22.  And,  behold,  there  cometh 
one  of  the  rulers  of  the  Synagogue,  Jairus  by  name ; 
and  when  he  saw  him,  he  fell  at  his  feet;  Acts 
xiii.  15.  And  after  the  reading  of  the  law  and  the 
prophets,  the  rulers  of  the  Synagogue  sent  unto 
them,  saying,  ye  men  and  brethren,  if  ye  have  any 
word  of  exhortation  for  the  people,  say  on.  On 
this  latter  passage.  Dr.  Gill,  an  eminent  master  of 
oriental,  and  especially  of  rabbinical  learning,  in 
his  Commentary,  writes  thus: — "The  rulers  of 
the  Synagogue  sent  unto  them  :  that  is,  those  who 
were  the  principal  men  in  the  Synagogue;  the 
Ruler  of  it,  together  with  the  Elders  ;  for  there  was 
but  one  Ruler  in  a  Synagogue,  though  there  were 
more  Elders  ;  and  so  the  Syriac  version  here  ren- 
ders it,  the  Elders  of  the  Synagogue."  By  this 
language,  as  I  understand  the  Doctor,  he  does  not 
mean  to  intimate  that,  the  other  Elders  of  whom 
he  here  speaks,  did  not  bear  rule  in  the  Syna- 
gogue; but  that  tliere  was  only  one,  who,  by  way 
of  eminence,  was  called,  *'  the  Ruler  of  the  Syna- 
gogue;" that  is,  who  presided  at  their  meetings 
for  official  business.  It  is  plain,  however,  th.at, 
even  in  this  assertion,  he  is  in  some  degree  in  er- 
ror; for  more  than  once  we  find  a  plurality  of 
persons  in  single  Synagogues  spoken  of  as  *'  Ru- 
lers." 

in  maintaining  that  there  was,  in  every  Synagogue,  such  a 
bench  of  Elders,  who  conducted  its  discipline,  and  ma- 
naged  its  affairs. 


OLD  TESTAMENT  CHURCH.  37 

The  learned  Vitringa,  who,  undoubtedly,  is  en- 
titled to  a  very  high  place  4n  the  list  of  authorities 
on  this  subject,  is  of  the  opinion,  that  all  who  oc- 
cupied a  place  with  the  bench  of  Elders  in  the 
Synagogue,  were  of  one  and  the  same  rank  or  or- 
der; that  they  all  received  one  and  the  same  ordi- 
nation ;  and  were,  of  course,  equally  authorized  to 
preach,  when  duty  or  inclination  called  them  to 
this  part  of  the  public  service,  as  well  as  to  rule. 
And  in  this  opinion  he  is  joined  by  some  others, 
whose  judgment  is  worthy  of  the  highest  respect. 
But,  at  the  same  time,  this  eminent  man  freely 
grants,  that  a  majority  of  the  Elders  of  the  Syna- 
gogue were  not,  in  fact,  ordinarily  employed  in 
leaching  or  preaching;  that  this  part  of  the  public 
service  was  principally  under  the  direction  of  the 
Chief  Ruler,  or  Head  of  each  Synagogue,  who  at- 
tended to  it  himself,  or  called  on  one  of  the  other 
Elders,  or  even  any  other  learned  Doctor  who 
might  be  present,  and  who  was  deemed  capable  of 
addressing  the  people  in  an  instructive  and  accept- 
able manner:  and  that  the  chief  business  of  the 
mass  of  the  Elders  was  to  rule.*  The  correct- 
ness of  this  opinion  has  been  questioned.  A  num- 
ber of  other  writers,  quite  his  equals,  both  in  talents 
and  learning,  and  especially  quite  as  conversant 
with  Jewish  authorities,  have  maintained,  that  a 
majority  of  the  Elders  in  the  Synagogue,  were 
neither  chosen  nor  set  apart  to  the  function  of 
teaching,  but  to  th^^t  of  ruling  only.  But,  in  the 
want  of  absolute  certainty  which  exists  on  this 
subject,  and  for  the  sake  of  argument,  I  am  willing 
to  acquiesce  in  Vitringa's  opinion.  Suppose  it  to 
have  been  as  he  alleges  : — This  is  quite  sufficient 

*  De  Synagoga  Vetere.  Lib.  iii.  Par.  i.  Cap.  7. 
4 


TESTIMONY    FROM    THE 


for  our  purpose.  If  it  be  conceded,  that  there  was, 
in  every  Synagogue,  a  bench  of  Elders,  who,  as  a 
judicial  body,  were  entrusted  with  the  whole  go- 
vernment a!ul  discipline  of  the  congregation: — that 
a  nriajority  of  these  Elders  seldom  or  never  preach- 
ed, but  were,  in  fact  (whatever  right  they  might 
have  had)  chiefly  occupied  as  ecclesiastical  rulers; 
and  that  all  ecclesiastical  matters,  instead  of  being 
discussed  and  decided  by  the  congregation  at  large, 
were  constantly  committed  to  the  judicial  delibera- 
tion and  decision  of  this  Eldership;  if  these  things 
be  granted — and  they  are  granted,  in  substance,  by 
every  writer,  entitled  to  be  referred  to  as  an  autho- 
rity, with  whom  I  am  aquainted ; — it  is  all  that 
can  be  considered  as  material  to  the  purpose  of  our 
argument.  This  will  appear  more  fully  in  the  se- 
quel. 

These  ofl[icers  of  the  Synagogue  were  called 
by  different  names,  as  we  learn  from  the  New 
Testament,  and  from  the  most  respectable  Jewish 
authorities.  The  most  common  and  familiar  name, 
perhaps,  was  that  of  Elders,  as  before  stated  at 
large.  They  were  also  called  rulers  of  the  Syna- 
gogue ;  a  title  of  frequent  occurrence  in  the  New 
Testament,  as  applied  to  the  whole  bench  of  the 
Elders  in  question ;  but  whicli  would  seem,  from 
some  passages,  to  have  been,  at  least,  sometimes 
applied,  by  way  of  eminence,  to  the  principal  ruler 
in  each  Synagogue,  which  principal  ruler  appears, 
however,  to  have  been  of  the  same  general  rank,  or 
order,  with  the  rest,  and  to  have  had  no  other  pre- 
cedence than  that  which  consisted  in  presiding  and 
taking  the  lead  in  the  public  service.  These  offi- 
cers were,  further  called  Heads  of  the  Synagogue ; — 
Overseers,  or  Bishops  ; — Presidents  ; — Orderers, 
or  Regulators  of  the  affairs  of  the  Synagogue  ; — 


OLD    TESTAMENT   CHURCH.  39 

Guides,  &c.  &c.  These  titles  are  given  at 
length  by  Vitringa,*  Selden,t  and  others,  with 
the  original  vouchers  and  exemplifications  of  each  ; 
showing  that  they  all  imply  bearing  rule,  as  well 
as  the  enjoyment  of  pre-eminence  and  dignity. 

And,  as  these  Elders  were  distinguished  from 
the  common  members  of  the  Synagogue  by  ap- 
propriate tides,  indicating  official  honour  and  power; 
so  they  had  also  distinct  and  honourable  seats  as- 
signed them,  when  the  congregation  over  which 
they  ruled  was  convened.  The  place  of  sitting 
usually  appropriated  to  them,  was  a  semi-circular 
bench,  in  the  middle  of  which  the  chief  ruler  was 
placed,  and  his  colleagues  on  each  side  of  him, 
with  their  faces  toward  the  assembly,  and  in  a 
certain  position  with  respect  to  the  Ark,  the  prin- 
cipal Door,  and  the  cardinal  points  of  the  compass. 
This  statement  is  confirmed  by  the  learned  Thorn- 
dike,  a  distinguished  Episcopal  divine,  of  the  17th 
century.  In  speaking  of  the  Consistory,  or  bench 
of  Elders,  in  the  Synagogue,  and  describing  their 
manner  of  sitting  in  public  worship,  he  makes  the 
following  statement,  in  the  form  of  a  quotation 
from  Maimonides,  and  confirms  it  abundantly  from 
other  sources.  "  How  sit  the  people  in  the  Syna- 
gogue ?  The  Elders  sit  with  their  faces  towards 
the  people,  and  their  backs  towards  the  Hecall 
(the  place  where  they  lay  the  copy  of  the  law;) 
and  all  the  people  sit  rank  before  rank,  the  face  of 
every  rank  towards  the  back  of  the  rank  before  it ; 
so  the  faces  of  all  the  people  are  towards  the  Sanc- 
tuary, and  towards  the  Elders,  and  towards  the 
Ark ;   and    when  the  Minister  of  the  Synagogue 

*  De  Synagoga  Vetere,  Lib.  iii.  Par.  i.  Cap.  1,  2,  3. 
t  De  Synedriis — passim. 


40  TESTIMONY    FROM    THE 

standetli  up  to  prayer,  he  standeth  on  the  ground 
before  the  Ark,  with  his  face  toward  the  sanctuary, 
as  tlie  rest  of  the  people."* 

The  number  of  the  Elders  in  each  Synagogue 
was  not  governed  by  any  absolute  rule.  In  large 
cities,  according  to  certain  Jewish  authorities  quoted 
by  Vitringa  the  number  was  frequently  very  large. 
But  even  in  the  smallest  Synagogues,  we  are  as- 
sured, as  mentioned  in  a  former  page,  that  there 
were  never  less  than  three,  that  the  judicatory 
might  never  be  equally  divided. 

Such  were  the  arrangements  for  maintaining 
purity  and  order  in  the  Synagogues,  or  parish 
churches  of  the  old  economy,  anterior  to  the  ad- 
v-ent  of  the  Messiah.  It  would  seem  to  be  impos- 
sible for  any  one  to  contemplate  this  statement,  so 
amply  supported  by  all  sound  authority,  without 
recognising  a  striking  likeness  to  the  arrangements 
afterwards  adopted  in  the  New  Testament  Church. 
That  this  likeness  is  real,  and  has  been  maintained 
by  some  of  the  ablest  writers  on  the  subject,  the 
following  short  extracts  will  sufficiently  establish. 

The  first  quotation  shall  be  taken  from  Bishop 
Burnet.  "  Among  the  Jews,"  says  he,  "  he  who 
was  the  chief  of  the  Synagogue  was  called  Chazan 
Hakeneseth,  that  is,  the  Bishop  of  the  Congrega- 
tion, and  Sheliach  Tsibbor,  the  angel  of  the  Church. 
Arid  the  Christian  Church  being  modelled  as  near 
the  form  of  the  Synagogue  as  could  be,  as  they 
retained  many  of  the  rites,  so  the  form  of  their 
government  was  continued,  and  the  names  remain- 
ed the  same."  And  again  ;  "  In  the  Synagogues 
there  was,  first,  one  that  was  called  the  Bishop  of 

*  Discourse  of  the  Service  of  God  in  Religious  Assera* 
blies.    Chap.  3.  p.  56. 


OLD   TESTAMENT   CHURCH.  41 

the  Congregation.  Next  the  three  Orderers,  and 
Judges  of  every  thing  about  the  Synagogue,  who 
were  called  Tsekenim,  and  by  the  Greeks, 
7t^£a4vri^ot  or  yi^ovTii.  These  ordered  and  deter- 
mined every  thing  that  concerned  the  Synagogue, 
or  the  persons  in  it.  Next  to  them,  were  the  three 
Parnassin,  or  Deacons,  whose  charge  was  to  gather 
the  collections  of  the  rich,  and  to  distribute  them 
to  the  poor.  The  term  Elder,  was  generally  given 
to  all  their  Judges :  but  chietly  to  those  of  the 
great  Sanhedrim.  So  we  have  it  Matt.  xvi.  21. 
Markviii.  Sl.xiv.  43.  &:  xv.  1,  and  Acts  xxiii.  14." 
"  A  great  deal  might  be  said  to  prove  that  the 
Apostles,  in  their  first  constitutions,  took  things  as 
they  had  been  modelled  to  their  hand  in  the  Syna- 
gogue. And  this  they  did,  both  because  it  was 
not  their  design  to  innovate,  except  where  the  na- 
ture of  the  Gospel  dispensation  obliged  them  to 
do  it : — As  also,  because,  they  took  all  means  pos- 
sible to  gain  the  Jews,  who  we  find  v/ere  zealous 
adherers  to  the  traditions  of  their  fathers,  ^nd  not 
easily  weaned  from  those  precepts  of  Moses,  which 
by  Christ's  death  were  evacuated.  And  if  the 
Apostles  went  so  great  a  length  in  complying  with 
them  in  greater  matters,  as  circumcision  and  other 
legal  observances,  (which  appears  from  the  Acts 
and  Epistles,)  we  have  good  grounds  to  suppose 
that  they  would  have  yielded  to  them  in  what  was 
more  innocent  and  less  important.  Besides,  there 
appears,  both  in  our  Lord  himself,  and  in  his  Apos- 
tles, a  great  inclination  to  symbolize  with  them  as 
far  as  was  possible.  Now  the  nature  of  the  Christian 
worship  shows  evidently,  that  it  came  in  the  room 
of  the  Synagogue,  which  was  moral,  and  not  of 
the  temple  worship,  which  wa^  typical  and  cere- 
monial.    Likewise  this  parity  of  customs  betwixt 


4JJ  TESTIMONY    FROM   THE 

the  Jews  and  Christians,  was  such  ihat  it  made 
them  taken  by  tlie  Romans,  and  oilier  more  overly 
observers,  for  one  sect  of  religion.  And,  finally, 
any  that  will  impartially  read  the  New  'J'eslament, 
will  find  that  when  the  forms  of  governtnent  or 
worship  are  treated  of,  it  is  not  done  with  such 
archilectonal  exactness,  as  was  necessary,  if  a  new 
thing  had  been  instituted,  which  we  find  practised 
by  Moses.  But  the  Apostles  rather  speak  as  those 
who  give  rules  for  the  ordering  and  directing  of 
what  was  already  in  being.  From  all  which  it 
seems  well  grounded  and  rational  to  assume,  that 
the  first  constitution  of  the  Christian  Churches  was 
taken  from  the  model  of  the  Synagogue,  in  which 
these  Elders  were  separated,  for  the  discharge  of 
their  employments,  by  an  imposition  of  hands,  as 
all  .Jewish  writers  do  clearly  witness."* 

The  second  testimony  shall  be  that  of  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Thomas  Godwin,  an  English  divine  of  great 
erudition,  especially  in  oriental  learning.  In  his 
well-known  work,  entidcd  "  Moses  and  Aaron," 
we  find  the  following  passage:  "  There  were  in 
Israel  distinct  Courts,  consisting  of  distinct  per- 
sons; the  one  principally  for  Church  busir»ess ; 
the  other  for  affairs  in  the  commonwealth  :  the  one 
an  ecclesiastical  Consistory  ;  the  other  a  civil  Judi- 
catory. The  secular  Consistory  was  named  a 
Sanhedrim,  or  Council;  the  spiritual,  a  Syna- 
"gogue.  The  office  of  the  ecclesiastical  court  was 
to  put  a  difference  between  things  holy  and  unholy, 
and  to  determine  appeals  in  controversies  of  diffi- 
culty. It  was  a  representative  Church.  Hence 
is  that,  Die  Ecdesics;  Matt,  xviii.  16.t 

*  Observations  on  the  First  and  Second  Canons,  &c.  p. 
82,  83,  84,  85.     Glasgow.  12ino.  1673. 
t  Moses  and  Aaron,  Book  5,  chapter  i. 


OLD    TESTAMENT    CHURCH.  43 

The  next  question  sliali  be  taken  from  Dr. 
Lighlfoot,  another  Episcopal  divine,  still  more  dis- 
tino^Liished  for  his  oriental  and  rabbinical  learning. 
"The  Apostle,"  says  he  "calleth  the  minister 
Upiscopus,  or  (Bishop)  from  the  common  and 
known  title  of  the  Chazan  or  Overseer  in  the  Sy- 
nagogue." And  again :  "  Besides  these,  there 
was  the  public  minister  of  the  Synagogue,  who 
prayed  publicly,  and  took  care  about  reading  the 
law,  and  sometimes  preached,  if  there  were  not 
some  other  to  discharge  this  office.  This  person 
was  called,  ii3"'i  n>?a',  the  angel  of  the  Clmrch,  and 
ncjDH  ^;n  the  Chazan,  or  Bishoj)  of  the  congregation. 
The  Aruch  gives  the  reason  of  the  name.  The 
Chazan  says  he,  is  i3>s  n-'Vc  the  angel  of  the 
Church,  (or  the  public  minister,)  and  the  Targiim 
renders  the  word  nsn  by  the  word  nnn,  one  that 
oversees.  For  it  is  incumbent  on  him  to  oversee 
how  the  reader  reads,  and  whom  he  may  call  out 
to  read  in  the  law.  The  public  Minister  of  the 
Synagogue  himself  read  not  the  law  publicly  ;  but 
every  Sabbath  he  called  out  seven  of  the  Syna- 
gogue, (on  other  days  fewer,)  who  he  judged  fit 
to  read.  He  stood  by  him  that  read,  with  great 
care,  observing  that  he  read  nothing  either  falsely 
or  improperly,  and  called  him  back,  and  correcting 
him,  if  he  had  failed  in  any  thing.  And  hence  he 
was  called  Chazan,  that  is,  E-ta-x.oTro';,  Bishop,  or 
Overseer.  Certainly  the  signification  of  the  words 
Bishop  and  Angel  of  the  Church,  had  been  deter- 
mined with  less  noise,  if  recourse  had  been  had  to 
the  proper  fountains,  and  men  had  not  vainly  dis- 
puted about  the  signification  of  words  taken  I  know 
not  whence.  The  service  and  worship  of  the 
temple  being  abolished,  as  being  ceremonial,  God 
transplanted  the  worship  and  public  adoration  oi 


44  TESTIMONY    FROM    THE 

God  used  in  ihe  Synagogues,  which  was  moral, 
into  the  Christian  Church;  viz:  the  public  mi- 
nistry, public  prayers,  reading  God's  "Word,  and 
preaching,  &lc.  Hence  the  names  of  the  ministers 
of  the  gospel  were  the  very  same,  the  Angel  of  the 
Church,  and  the  Bishop,  which  belonged  to  the 
Ministers  in  the  Synagogues.  "There  was  in 
every  Synagogue,  a  bench  of  three.  This  bench 
consisted  of  three  Elders,  rightly  and  by  imposi- 
tion of  hands  preferred  to  the  Eldership."  "  There 
were  also  three  Deacons,  or  Almoners,  on  which 
was  the  care  of  the  poor."* 

In  another  place,  the  same  learned  orientalist 
says,  describing  the  worship  in  the  Jewish  Syna- 
gogue :  "In  the  body  of  the  Church  the  congre- 
gation met,  and  prayed  and  heard  the  law,  and  the 
manner  of  their  silling  was  this :  The  Elders  sat 
near  the  Chancel,  with  their  faces  down  the  Church: 
and  the  people  sat  one  form  behind  another,  with 
their  faces  up  the  Church,  toward  the  Chancel  and 
the  Elders.  Of  these  Elders  there  were  some  that 
had  rule  and  office  in  the  Synagogue,  and  some 
that  had  not.  And  this  distinction  the  Apostle 
seemeth  to  allude  unto,  in  that  much  disputed  text, 
1  Tim.  V.  18.  The  Elders  that  rule  well,  etc., 
where  '  the  Elders  that  ruled  well'  are  set  not  only 
in  opposition  to  those  that  ruled  ill,  but  to  those 
that  ruled  not  at  all.  We  may  see,  then,  whence 
these  titles  and  epithets  in  the  New  Testament  are 
taken,  namely,  from  the  common  platform  and  con- 
stitution of  the  Synagogues,  where  Angelus  Ec- 
clesias,  and  Episcopus  were  terms  of  so  ordinary 
use  and  knowledge.  And  we  may  observe  from 
whence  the  Apostle  takeih  his  expressions,  when 

*  Lightfoot's  Works,  Vol.  i.  p.  308.  Vol.  ii.  p.  133.  755. 


OLD    TESTAMENT    CHURCH.  45 

lie  speakelli  of  some  Elders  ruling,  and  labouring 
in  word  and  doctrine,  and  some  not ;  namely,  from 
the  same  platform  and  constitution  of  the  Syna- 
gogue, wliere  '  the  Ruler  of  the  Synagogue'  was 
more  singularly  for  ruling  the  affairs  of  the  Syna- 
gogue, and  '  the  minister  of  the  Congregation,'  la- 
bouring in  the  word,  and  reading  the  law,  and  in 
doctrine  about  the  preaching  of  it.  Both  these  to- 
gether are  sometimes  called  jointly,  '  the  Rulers  of 
the  Synagogue;'  Acts  xiii.  15  ;  Mark  v.  22;  being 
both  Elders  tliat  ruled  ;  but  the  title  is  more  sin- 
gularly given  to  the  first  of  them."* 

Again,  he  says  : — "  In  all  the  Jews'  Synagogues 
there  were  Parnasin,  Deacons,  or  such  as  had  care 
of  the  poor,  whose  work  it  was  to  gather  alms  for 
them  from  the  congregation,  and  to  distribute  it  to 
them.  That  needful  office  is  here  (Acts  vi.)  trans- 
lated into  the  Christian  Church. t 

The  fourth  quotation  shall  be  taken  from  Dr. 
(afterwards  Bishop)  Stillingfleet,  who,  in  his  Ire- 
nicum,  maintains  a  similar  position  with  confidence 
and  zeal ;  the  following  is  a  specimen  of  his  lan- 
guage:— "  Tliat  which  we  lay,  then,  as  ajfounda- 
lion,  whereby  to  clear  what  apostolical  practice 
was,  is  that  the  Apostles,  in  forming  Churches,  did 
observe  the  customs  of  the  Jewish  Synagogue, "J 
And  in  support  of  this  position,  particularly  in  re- 
ference to  the  Eldership  of  the  Synagogue,  he 
quotes  a  large  number  of  the  most  distinguished 
writers,  both  Jewish  and  Christian.  It  is  due  to 
candour,  indeed,  to  state,  that  Stillingfleet  does  not 
admit  that  any  of  the  Elders,  either  of  the  Syna- 

*  Lightfoot's  Work's,  Vol.  i.  pp.  611,  612. 

t  Ibid.  i.  279. 

t  Irenicum.  Part.  2.  Chapter  6. 


46  TESTIMONY    FROM    THE 

gogue,  or  of  the  primitive  Church,  were  lay-Elders, 
but  thinks  they  were  all  invested  with  some  kind 
of  clerical  cliaracier.  This,  iiowever,  as  before  re- 
marked, does  not  at  all  all'ect  the  value  of  his  testi- 
mony to  the  general  fact,  that,  in  every  Syna- 
gogue there  was  a  Consistory,  or  Judicatory,  of 
Elders,  and  that  the  same  class  of  oflicers  was 
adopted,  both  name  and  thing,  in  the  aposto- 
lic Church,  which  he  unequivocally  asserts  and 
proves. 

In  the  same  general  doctrine,  Grotius  and  Sal- 
masius  of  Holland,  decisively  concur.  By  Gro- 
tius, the  following  strong  and  unqualified  language 
is  used  :  *'  The  whole  polity,  or  order  (regimen) 
of  the  Churches  of  Christ,  was  conformed  to  the 
model  of  the  Jewish  Synagogue."  And  again; 
speaking  of  ordination  by  the  imposition  of  hands, 
lie  says: — This  method  was  observed  in  setting 
apart  the  Rulers  and  Elders  of  the  Synagogue  :  and 
thence  the  custom  passed  into  the  Christian 
Church."*  Salmasius  also,  and  other  writers,  of 
equally  profound  learning,  might  be  quoted  as  un- 
equivocally deciding,  that  the  Synagogue  had  a 
bench  of  Ruling  Elders,  and  that  a  similar  bench, 
after  that  model,  was  constituted  in  the  Christian 
Church.  Especially,  he  contends  that  the  Elders 
of  the  Church  were,  beyond  all  doubt,  taken  from 
the  Eldership  in  the  Synagogue.! 

The  learned  Spencer,  a  divine  of  the  Church  of 
England,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  teaches  the 
same  general  doctrine,  when  he  says: — The 
Apostles,  also,  that  this  reformation  (the  change 
from  the  Old  to  the  New  Testament  dispensation) 

*  Grotii  Annotationes  in  Act.  Apost.  vi.  xi. 
t  De  Priinatu  Papa),  cap.  i. 


OLD   TESTAMENT   CHURCH.  47 

might  proceed  gently,  and  without  noise,  received 
into  the  Christian  Church  many  of  those  institu- 
tions which  liad  been  long  in  use  among  the  Jews. 
Among  the  number  of  these  may  be  reckoned,  the 
imposition  of  hands ;  bishops,  elders,  and  deacons  ; 
excommunication,  ordination,  and  other  things  fa- 
miliar to  learned  men."* 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Adam  Clarke,  whose  eminent 
learning  no  competent  judge  will  question,  also 
bears  testimony  that  in  every  Jewish  Synagogue, 
at  the  time  of  the  coming  of  Christ,  and  before, 
there  was  an  ecclesiastical  judicatory,  or  little 
Court,  whose  duty  it  was  to  conduct  the  spiritual 
government  of  each  congregation.  Among  several 
places  in  which  he  makes  this  statement,  the  fol- 
lowing is  decisive  : — In  his  Commentary  on  James 
ii.  2,  he  says: — "  In  ancient  times  petty  courts  of 
judicature  were  held  in  the  Synagogues,  as  Vitrin- 
ga  has  sufficiently  proved,  De  Vet.  Syn.  I.  3. ; 
and  it  is  probable  that  the  case  here  adduced  was 
one  of  a  judicial  kind;  where  of  the  two  parties, 
one  was  rich,  and  the  other  poor ;  and  the  master 
or  ruler  of  the  Synagogue,  or  he  who  presided  in 
this  court,  paid  particular  deference  to  the  rich  man, 
and  neglected  the  poor  person  ;  though  as  plaintiff 
and  defendent,  they  were  equal  in  the  eye  of 
justice." 

I  shall  cite  on  this  subject  only  one  more  autho- 
rity; that  of  the  celebrated  Augustus  Neander,  Pro- 
fessor in  the  University  of  Berlin,  and  generally 
considered  as,  perhaps  more  profoundly  skilled  in 
Christian  antiquities,  than  any  other  man  now  liv- 
ing.    He  is,  moreover,  a  minister  of  the  Lutheran 

*  De  Legibus  Hebra3orum,  Lib.  iii.  Dissert.  1.  Cap.  2. 
sect.  4. 


48  TESTIMONY   FROM   THE 

Church,  and,  of  course,  has  no  seclarian  spirit  to 
gratify  in  vindicating  Presbyterianism.  And,  what 
is  not  unworthy  of  notice,  being  himself  of  Jewish 
extraction,  he  has  enjoyed  the  highest  advantages 
for  exploring  the  peculiar  polity  of  that  people. 
After  showing  at  some  length,  that  the  government 
of  the  primitive  Church  was  not  monarchical  or 
prelatical,  but  dictated  throughout  by  a  spirit  of 
mutual  love,  counsel,  and  prayer,  he  goes  on  to 
express  himself  thus:  ♦'We  may  suppose  that 
where  any  thing  could  be  found  in  the  way  of 
Church  forms,  which  was  consistent  with  this 
spirit,  it  would  be  willingly  appropriated  by  the 
Christian  community.  Now  there  happened  to  be 
in  the  Jewish  Synagogue,  a  system  of  government 
of  this  nature;  not  monarchical,  but  rather  aristo- 
cratical  (or  a  government  of  the  most  venerable 
and  excellent.)  A  council  of  Elders,  o^jpr  TrPi^^vn^uy 
conducted  all  the  affairs  of  that  body.  It  seemed 
most  natural  that  Christianity,  developing  itself 
from  the  Jewish  religion,  should  take  this  form  of 
government.  This  form  must  also  have  appeared 
natural  and  appropriate  to  the  Roman  citizens, 
since  their  nation  had,  from  the  earliest  times, 
been,  to  some  extent,  under  the  control  of  a  Senate, 
composed  of  Senators,  or  Elders.  When  the 
Church  was  placed  under  a  council  of  Elders,  they 
did  not  always  happen  to  be  the  oldest  in  reference 
to  years  ;  but  the  term  expressive  of  age  here,  was, 
as  in  the  Latin  Senatus,  and  in  the  Greek  yfgawr/*, 
expressive  of  worth  or  merit.  Besides  the  com- 
mon name  of  these  overseers  of  the  Church,  to  wit, 
Tre^irfivTig^ci,  there  were  many  other  names  given,  ac- 
cording  to  the  peculiar  situation  occupied  by  the 
individual,  or  rather  his  peculiar  field  of  labour  ;  as 
TTUf^m;,  shepherds ;  t^yy^jy-iy-i  leaders ;    ^gies-TarK  tui 


NEW  TESTAMENT  CHURCH.  49 

auteKcpoDV)  rulers  of  the  brethren;  and  iTtTKOTrci,  over- 


seers. 


"* 


Now,  if,  in  the  ancient  Jewish  Synagogue,  the 
government  of  the  congregation  was  not  vested, 
either  in  the  people  at  large,  or  in  any  single  indi- 
vidual, but  in  a  bench  of  Elders  ;  if  this  is  acknow- 
ledged on  all  hands,  as  one  of  the  clearest  and  most 
indubitable  facts  in  Jewish  antiquity ; — and  if,  in 
the  judgment  of  the  most  learned  and  pious  divines 
that  ever  lived,  both  episcopal  and  non-episcopal, 
the  New  Testament  Church  was  formed  after  the 
model  of  the  Jewish  Synagogue,  and  not  after  the 
pattern  of  the  Temple  service ; — we  may,  of  course, 
expect  to  find  some  evidence  of  this  in  the  history 
of  the  apostolic  Churches.  How  far  this  expecta- 
tion is  realized,  will  be  seen  in  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER  HI. 

EVIDENCE    IN   FAVOUR   OF    THE    OFFICE   FROM   THE    NEW 
TESTAMENT  SCRIPTURES. 

In  this  chapter  it  is  proposed  to  show,  that  the 
office  in  question  is  mentioned  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, as  existing  in  the  apostolic  Church  ;  that  it 
was  adopted  from  the  Synagogue;  and  that  it 
occupied,  in  substance,  the  same  place  in  the 
days  of  the  Apostles,  that  it  now  occupies  in  our 
truly  primitive  and  scriptural  Church. 

The  first  assertion  is,  that  this  class  of  oflicers 
was  adopted  in  the  Church  of  Christ,  under  its 
New  Testament  form,  after  the  model  of  the  Syna- 

*  Kirchengeschichte,  Vol.  i.  p.  283, 285. 


50  TESTIMON-S    FROM   THE 

gogue.  Some  have  said,  indeed,  that  the  Apostles 
adopted  the  model  of  the  temple,  and  not  of  the 
Synagogue  service,  in  the  organization  of  the 
Church.  But  the  slightest  impartial  attention  to 
facts,  will  be  sufficient,  it  is  believed,  to  disprove 
this  assertion.  If  we  compare  the  titles,  the  powers, 
the  duties,  and  the  ordination  of  the  officers  of  the 
Christian  Church,  as  well  as  the  nature  and  order 
of  its  public  service,  as  established  by  the  Apostles, 
with  the  Temple  and  the  Synagogue  systems  re- 
spectively, we  shall  find  the  organization  and  ser- 
vice of  the  Church  to  resemble  the  Temple  in 
scarcely  any  thing;  while  they  resemble  the  Syna- 
gogue in  almost  every  thing.  There  v/ere  Bishops, 
Elders,  and  Deacons,  in  the  Synagogue ;  but  no 
officers  bearing  these  titles,  or  performing  similar 
functions  in  the  Temple.  There  was  ordination 
by  the  imposition  of  hands  in  the  Synagogue  ;  but 
no  such  ordination  in  the  Temple.  There  were 
reading  the  Scriptures,  expounding  them,  and  pub- 
lic prayers,  every  Sabbath  day  in  the  Synagogue; 
while  the  body  of  the  people  went  up  to  the  Tem- 
ple only  three  times  a  year,  and  even  then  to 
attend  on  a  very  different  service.  In  the  Syna- 
gogue, there  was  a  system  established,  which  in- 
cluded a  weekly  provision,  not  only  for  the  instruc- 
tion and  devotions  of  the  people,  but  also  for  the 
maintenance  of  discipline,  and  the  care  of  the  poor ; 
while  scarcely  any  thing  of  this  kind  was  to  be 
found  in  the  Temple.  Now,  in  all  these  respects, 
and  in  many  more  which  might  be  mentioned,  the 
Christian  Church  followed  the  Synagogue  model, 
and  departed  from  that  of  the  Temple.  Could 
we  trace  a  resemblance  only  in  one  or  a  few  points, 
it  might  be  considered  as  accidental;  but  the  re- 
semblance is  so  close,  so  striking,  and  extends  to 


NEW    TESTAMENT   CHURCH.  51 

SO  many  particulars,  as  to  arrest  the  attention  of  the 
most  careless  inquirer.  It  was,  indeed,  notoriously, 
so  great  in  the  early  ages,  that  the  heathen  fre- 
quently suspected  Christian  Churches  of  being 
Jewish  Synagogues  in  disguise,  and  stigmatized 
them  as  such  accordingly. 

And  when  it  is  considered  that  all  the  first  con- 
verts to  Christianity  were  Jews ;  that  they  had 
been  accustomed  to  the  offices  and  service  of  the 
Synagogue  during  their  whole  lives:  that  they 
came  into  the  Church  with  all  the  feelings  and 
habits  connected  with  their  old  institutions  strongly 
prevalent ;  and  that  the  organization  and  service  of 
the  Synagogue  were  of  a  moral  nature,  in  all  their 
leading  characters,  proper  to  be  adopted  under  any 
dispensation ;  while  the  typical  and  ceremonial 
service  of  the  Temple  was  then  done  away ; — when 
these  things  are  considered,  will  it  not  appear  per- 
fectly natural  that  the  Apostles,  themselves  native 
Jews,  should  be  disposed  to  make  as  little  change 
in  converting  Synagogues  into  Christian  Churches, 
as  was  consistent  with  the  spirituality  of  the  new 
dispensation  ?  That  the  Synagogue  model,  there- 
fore, should  be  adopted,  would  seem  beforehand, 
to  be  the  most  probable  of  all  events.  Nor  is  this 
a  new  or  sectarian  notion.  Whoever  looks  into 
the  writings  of  some  of  the  early  Fathers  ;  of  the 
Reformers  ;  and  of  a  large  portion  of  the  most  learn- 
ed men  who  have  adorned  the  Church  of  Christ, 
subsequently  to  the  Reformation,  will  find  a  very 
remarkable  concurrence  of  opinion  that  such  was 
the  model  really  adopted  in  the  organization  of  the 
apostolic  Church.  Most  of  the  distmguished 
writers  whose  names  are  mentioned  in  the  preced- 
ing chapter,  are,  as  we  have  seen,  unanimous  and 
zealous  in  maintaining  this  position. 


52  TESTIMONY    FROM   THE 

Accordingly,  as  soon  as  we  begin  lo  read  of  the 
Apostles  organizing  Churches  on  the  New  Testa- 
ment plan,  we  find  them  instituting  officers  of  pre- 
cisely the  same  nature,  and  bestowing  on  them,  for 
the  most  part,  the  very  same  titles  to  which  they 
had  been  accustomed  in  the  ordinary  sabbatical 
service  under  the  preceding  economy.  We  find 
Bishops,  Elders,  and  Deacons,  every  where  ap- 
pointed. We  find  a  plurality  of  Elders  ordained 
in  every  Church.  And  we  find  the  Elders  repre- 
sented as  "  overseers,"  or  inspectors  of  the  Church  ; 
as  "  rulers"  in  the  house  of  God  ;  and  the  members 
of  the  Church  exhorted  lo  "  obey  them,"  and  "  sub- 
mit" to  them,  as  to  persons  charged  with  their 
spiritual  interests,  and  entitled  to  their  affectionate 
and  dutiful  reverence. 

The  following  passages  may  be  considered  as  a 
specimen  of  the  New  Testament  representations 
on  this  subject.  "  And  when  ihey  had  ordained 
them  Elders  in  every  Church,  and  had  prayed 
with  fasting,  they  commended  them  lo  the  Lord,  on 
whom  they  believed  ;"  Aclsxiv.23.  "And  when 
they  were  come  to  Jerusalem,  ihey  were  received 
of  the  Church,  and  of  the  Apostles  and  Elders. 
And  the  Apostles  and  Elders  came  together  to  con- 
sider of  this  matter ;"  Acts  xv.  4,  6.  *'  And  from 
Miletus,  he  (Paul)  sent  lo  Ephesus,  and  called  the 
Elders  of  the  Church ;  and  when  they  were  come 
unto  him,  he  said  unto  them,  take  heed  unto  your- 
selves, and  to  all  the  flock,  over  which  the  Holy 
Ghost  hath  made  you  overseers  ;"  Acts  xx.  20,  28. 
"  Is  any  sick  among  you?  Let  him  call  for  the  El- 
ders of  the  Church  ;  and  let  them  pray  over  him," 
&c. ;  James  v.  14.  *'  The  elders  which  are  among 
you  I  exhort,  who  am  also  an  Elder,  and  a  witness 
of  the  suflierings  of  Christ  and  also  a  partaker  of 


NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH.  53 

the  fflory  that  shall  be  revealed.  Feed  the  flock 
of  God  that  is  among  you,  taking  the  oversight 
thereof,  not  by  constraint,  but  willingly;  not  for 
tiithy  lucre,  but  of  a  ready  mind;  neither  as  being 
Lords  over  God's  heritage,  but  being  ensamplesto 
the  flock;"  1  Peter  v.  1,2,  .3.  "  For  this  cause  left 
I  thee  in  Crete,  that  thou  shouldest  set  in  order  the 
things  that  are  wanting,  and  ordain  Elders  in  every 
city,  as  I  had  appointed  thee  ;"  Titus  i.  5.  "Obey 
them  that  have  the  rule  over  you,  and  submit  your- 
selves, for  they  watch  for  your  souls  as  they  that 
must  give  account;"  Hebrews  xiii.  17.  "  And  we 
beseecli  you,  brethren,  to  know  them  which  labour 
among  you,  and  are  over  you  in  the  Lord,  and  ad- 
monish you,  and  to  esteem  them  very  highly  in 
love  for  tlieir  work  sake  ;"  1  Thessalonians,  v.  12, 
13.  *'  Let  the  Elders  that  rule  well  be  accounted 
worthy  of  double  honour,  especially  they  who  la- 
bour in  the  word  and  doctrine ;"  1  Tim.  v.  17.  To 
whatever  Church  our  attention  is  directed,  in  the 
inspired  history,  we  find  in  it  a  plurality  of  Elders ; 
we  find  the  mass  of  the  Church  members  spoken 
of  as  under  their  authority;  and  while  the  people 
are  exhorted  to  submit  to  their  rule,  with  all  rea- 
diness and  affection  ;  these  rulers  are  commanded, 
in  the  name  of  Christ,  to  exercise  the  power  vested 
in  them  by  the  great  Head  of  the  Church,  with 
firmness,  and  fidelity,  and  yet  with  disinterested- 
ness and  moderation,  so  as  to  promote  most  effec- 
tually, the  purity  and  order  of  the  flock. 

The  circumstance  of  our  finding  it  so  uniformly 
stated  that  there  was  a  plurality  of  Elders  ordained 
in  every  Church,  is  certainly  worthy  of  particular 
attention  here.  If  there  had  been  a  plurality  of 
these  oflacers  appointed  only  in  some  of  the  more 
populous  cities,  where  there  were  probably  several 
5 


54  TESTIilONY    FROM    THE 

worshipping  assemblies;  where  the  congregations 
may  be  supposed  to  liave  been  unusually  large; 
and  where  it  was  important,  of  course,  to  have 
more  than  a  single  preaclier;  then  we  might  con- 
sider this  fact  as  very  well  reconcilable  with  the 
doctrine  of  those  who  assert,  that  all  the  Elders  in 
the  apostolic  Church,  were  official  teachers.  But 
as  both  the  direction  and  the  practice  were  to  or- 
dain Elders,  that  is,  more  than  one,  at  least,  in 
every  Church,  small  as  well  as  great,  there  is,  evi- 
dently, very  strong  presumption  that  it  was  in- 
tended to  conform  to  the  Synagogue  model;  and 
if  so,  that  the  whole  of  the  number  so  ordained 
could  not  be  necessary  for  the  purpose  of  public 
instruction  ;  but  that  some  were  rulers,  who,  as  in 
the  Synagogue,  formed  a  kind  of  congregational 
Presbytery,  or  consistory,  for  the  government  of 
the  Church.  The  idea  that  it  was  considered  as 
necessary,  at  such  a  time,  that  every  Church 
should  have  two,  three,  or  four  Pastors  or  Minis- 
ters,  in  the  modern  popular  sense  of  those  terms, 
is  manifestly  altogether  inadmissible.  But  if  a 
majority  of  these  Elders,  whatever  their  ordination 
or  authority  might  be,  were  in  fact  employed,  not 
in  teaching,  but  in  ruling,  all  difficulty  vanishes  at 
once. 

Accordingly,  the  learned  Vitringa,  before  men- 
tioned, whose  authority  is  much  relied  upon  to  dis- 
prove the  existence  of  the  office  of  Ruling  Elder 
in  the  primitive  Church,  explicitly  acknowledges, 
not  only  that  there  was  then  a  plurality  of  Elders 
in  every  Church;  but  that,  as  in  the  Synagogue, 
the  greater  part  of  these  were,  in  fact,  employed 
in  ruling  only  ;  and  that  although  all  of  them  were 
set  apart  to  their  office  in  tlie  same  manner,  and 
were,  ecclesiastically,  of  the  same  rank;  yet  a  ma- 


NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH.  55 

jority  of  them,  from  want  of  suitable  qualifications, 
were  not  fitted  to  be  public  preachers,  and  seldom 
or  never  attempted  this  part  of  the  service.* 

But  there  are  distinct  passages  of  Scripture, 
which  have  been  deemed,  by  some  of  the  most 
impartial  and  competent  interpreters,  very  ])lainly 
to  point  out  the  class  of  Elders  now  under  consi- 
deration. 

In  Romans  xii.  6,  7,  8,  the  Apostle  exhorts  as 
follows  :  "  Having  then  gifts,  differing  according  to 
the  grace  given  to  us ;  whether  prophecy,  let  us 
prophesy  according  to  the  proportion  of  faith ;  or 
ministry,  let  us  wait  on  our  ministering;  or  he 
that  teacheth  on  teaching;  or  he  that  exhorteth  on 
exhortation ;  he  that  giveth,  let  him  do  it  with 
simplicity  ;  he  that  ruleth,  with  diligence;  he  that 
showeth  mercy,  with  cheerfulness."  With  this 
passage  may  be  connected  another,  of  similar  cha- 
racter, and  to  be  interpreted  on  the  same  principles. 
In  1  Corinthians  xii.  28,  we  are  told  :  "  God  hath 
set  some  in  the  Church,  first  Apostles,  secondarily 
Prophets,  thirdly  Teachers,  after  that  miracles, 
then  gifts  of  healing,  helps,  governments,  diversi- 
ties of  tongues."  In  both  these  passages  there  is  a 
reference  to  the  diflerent  offices  and  gifts  bestowed 
on  the  Church  by  her  divine  King  and  Head;  in 
both  of  them  there  is  a  plain  designation  of  an  office 
for  ruling  or  government,  distinct  from  that  of 
teaching;  and  in  both,  also,  this  office  evidently 
has  a  place  assigned  to  it  below  that  of  Pastors  and 
Teachers.  Now,  this  office,  by  whatever  name  it 
may  be  called,  or  whatever  doubts  may  be  started 
as  to  some  minor  questions  respecting  its  powers 
and  investiture,  is  substantially  the  same  with  that 

*  Vitringa  De  Synagoga  Vetere.     Lib.  ii.  Chap.  ii. 


56  TESTIMONY    FROM   THE 

which  Presbyterians  distinguish  by  the  title  of 
Rilling  Elder. 

Some,  indeed,  have  said  that  the  Apostle  in 
1  Cor.  xii.  28,  is  not  speaking  of  distinct  offices, 
but  of  different  duties,  devolving  on  the  Church  as 
a  body.  But  no  one,  it  is  believed,  who  impar- 
tially considers  the  whole  passage,  can  adopt  this 
opinion.  In  the  whole  of  the  context,  from  the 
12th  verse,  the  Apostle  is  speaking  of  the  Church 
of  God  under  the  emblem  of  a  body,  and  affirms 
that,  in  this  body,  there  is  a,  variety  of  members 
adapted  to  the  comfort  and  convenience  of  the 
whole  body.  For  the  body,  says  he,  is  not  one 
member,  but  many.  *'  If  the  foot  shall  say.  Because 
1  am  not  the  hand,  I  am  not  of  the  body,  is  it, 
therefore,  not  of  the  body  ?  And  if  the  ear  shall 
say.  Because  I  am  not  the  eye,  I  am  not  of  the 
body,  is  it,  therefore,  not  of  the  body  ?  If  the  whole 
body  were  an  eye,  where  were  the  hearing?  If  the 
whole  were  hearing,  where  were  the  smelling? 
But  now  hath  God  set  the  members  every  one  of 
them  in  the  body  as  it  hath  pleased  him.  And  if 
they  were  all  one  member,  where  were  the  body?" 
Plainly  implying  that  in  every  ecclesiastical,  as 
well  as  in  every  natural  body,  there  are  different 
functions  and  offices:  that  all  cannot  be  teachers: 
that  all  cannot  be  governors,  or  governments  ;  but 
that  to  each  and  every  functionary  is  assigned  his 
proper  work  and  duty. 

Nor  is  this  interpretation  of  the  Apostle  confined 
to  Presbyterians.  Peter  Martyr,  the  learned  Italian 
reformer,  interprets  the  passage  before  us  just  as 
we  have  done.  In  his  Commentary  on  1  Cor.  xii. 
28,  he  speaks  thus:  "  Governments.  Those  who 
are  honoured  with  this  function,  are  such  as  were 
fitted  for  the  work  of  government,  and  who  know 


NEW    TESTAMENT    CnURCH.  57 

how  to  conduct  every  thing  relatinor  to  discipline 
righteously  and  prudently.  For  the  Church  of 
Christ  had  its  government.  And  because  a  single 
pastor  was  not  able  to  accomplish  every  thing  him- 
self, there  were  joined  with  him,  in  the  ancient 
Church,  certain  Elders,  chosen  from  among  the 
people,  well-informed,  and  skilled  in  spiritual 
things,  who  formed  a  kind  of  parochial  Senate. 
These,  with  the  pastor,  deliberated  on  every  matter 
relating  to  the  care  and  edification  of  the  Church. 
Which  thing  Ambrose  makes  mention  of  in  writing 
on  the  Epistle  to  Timothy.  Among  these  Elders 
the  Pastor  took  the  lead,  not  as  a  tyrant,  but  rather 
as  a  Consul  presiding  in  a  council  of  Senators." 
Many  Episcopalians  and  others  find  in  tlie  passage 
the  same  sense.  The  Rev.  Herbert  Thorndike, 
before  quoted,  a  learned  divine  of  the  Church  of 
England,  who  lived  in  the  reign  of  Charles  I, 
speaks  thus  of  ihe  passage  last  cited.  "  There  is 
no  reason  to  doubt,  that  the  men  whom  the  Apos- 
tle, 1  Cor.  xii.  28,  and  Ephes.  iv.  11,  called  Doc- 
tors, or  Teachers,  are  those  of  the  Presbyters,  who 
had  the  abilities  of  preaching  and  teaching  the 
people  at  their  assemblies.  That  those  of  the 
Presbyters  who  preached  not,  are  called  here 
by  the- Apostles,  governments;  and  the  Deacons, 
utnXniit^,  that  is,  helps,  or  assistants  to  the  Go- 
vernment of  Presbyters ;  so  that  it  is  not  to  be 
translated  helps  in  governments,  but  helps,  govern- 
ments, 6lc.  There  were  two  parts  of  the  Pres- 
byter's office,  viz :  teaching  and  governing,  the 
one  whereof  some  attained  not,  even  in  the  Apos- 
tle's times."*. 

But  there  is  a  still  more  pointed  reference  to  this 

*  Discourse  of  Religious  Assemblies.     Chap.  iv.  p.  1]7. 


58  TESTIMONY    FROM   THE 

class  of  Elders  in  1  Timothy  v.  17.  "  Let  the  El- 
ders that  rule  well  be  counted  worthy  of  double 
honour,  especially  they  who  labour  in  the  word  and 
doctrine."  It  would  seem  that  every  person  of  plain 
commo:i  sense,  who  had  never  heard  of  any  diver- 
sity of  opinion  on  the  subject,  would,  without  he- 
.sitation,  conclude,  on  reading  this  passage,  that,  at 
the  period  in  which  it  was  written,  there  were  two 
kinds  of  Elders,  one  whose  duty  it  was  to  labour  in 
the  word  and  doctrine,  and  another  who  did  not 
thus  labour,  but  only  ruled  in  the  Church.  The 
Apostle  declares  that  Elders  who  rule  well  are 
worthy  of  double  honour,  but  especially  those  who 
labour  in  the  word  and  doctrine.  Now,  if  we  sup- 
pose that  there  was  only  one  class  of  Elders  then 
in  the  Church,  and  that  they  were  all  teachers,  or 
labourers  in  the  word  and  doctrine,  we  make  the  in- 
spired Apostle  speak  in  a  manner  utterly  unworthy 
of  his  high  character.  There  was,  therefore,  a 
class  of  Elders  in  the  apostolic  Church  who  did 
not,  in  fact,  or,  at  any  rate,  ordinarily,  preach,  or 
administer  sacraments,  but  assisted  in  goverment; 
in  other  words,  Ruling  Elders. 

For  this  construction  of  the  passage,  Dr.  Whit- 
aker,  a  zealous  and  learned  Episcopal  divine,  and 
Regius  Professor  of  Divinity  in  the  University  of 
Cambridge,  of  whom  Bishop  Hall  remarks,  that 
"  no  man  ever  saw  him  without  reverence,  or  heard 
him  without  wonder" — very  warmly  contends — 
"  By  these  words,"  says  he,  "  the  Apostle  evi- 
denll}-  distinguishes  between  the  Bishops  and  the 
Inspectors  of  the  Church.  If  all  who  rule  well  be 
worthy  of  double  honour,  especially  they  who  la- 
bour in  the  word  and  doctrine,  it  is  plain  that  there 
was  some  who  did  not  so  labour ;  for  if  all  had  been 
of  this  description,  the  meaning  would  have  been 


NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH.  59 

absurd ;  but  the  word  especially  points  out  a  dif- 
ference. If  I  should  say  lliat  all  who  study  well  at 
the  University  are  worthy  of  double  honour,  espe- 
cially they  who  labour  in  the  study  of  theology,  I 
must  either  mean,  that  all  do  not  apply  themselves 
to  the  study  of  Theology,  or  I  should  speak  non- 
sense. Wherefore  I  confess  that  to  be  the  most 
genuine  sense  by  which  Pastors  and  Teachers  are 
distinguished  from  those  who  only  governed;  Ro- 
mans, xii.  8.  Of  this  class  of  Elders  Ambrose 
speaks  in  his  commentary  on  1  Timothy  v.  1."* 

The  learned  and  venerable  Dr.  Owen,  gives  his 
opinion  of  the  import  of  this  passage,  in  still  more 
pointed  language.  "  This  is  a  text,"  says  he,  "  of 
incontrollable  evidence,  if  it  had  any  thing  to  con- 
flict withal  but  prejudice  and  interest.  A  rational 
man,  who  is  unprejudiced,  who  never  heard  of  the 
controversy  about  Ruling  Elders,  can  hardly  avoid 
an  apprehension  that  there  are  two  sorts  of  Elders, 
some  who  labour  in  the  word  and  doctrine,  and  some 
who  do  not  so  do.  The  truth  is,  it  was  interest 
and  prejudice  which  first  caused  some  learned  men 
to  strain  their  wits  to  find  out  evasions  from  the 
evidence  of  this  testimony.  Being  found  out,  some 
others,  of  meaner  abilities,  have  been  entangled, 
by  them.  There  are  Elders,  then,  in  the  Church. 
There  are,  or  ought  to  be  so  in  every  Church. 
With  these  Elders  the  whole  rule  of  the  Church  is 
intrusted.  All  these,  and  only  they,  do  rule  in  it."t 

Equally  to  our  purpose  is  the  judgment  of  that 
acute  and  learned  Episcopal  divine.  Dr.  Whitby,  in 
his  Commentary  on  this  passage  :  "  The  Elders  of 

*  Praslectiones,  as  quoted  in  Calderwood's  Altare  Da- 
mascenurn,  p.  68]. 

t  True  Nature  of  a  Gospel  Church.  Chapter  vii.  p,  141, 
142, 143. 


50  TESTIMONY   FEOM    THE 

ihe  Jews,"  says  he,  "  were  of  iwo  sorts  ;  Ist,  such 
as  governed  in  ihe  Synagogue,  and  2dly,  such  as 
ministered  in  reading  and  expounding  iheir  scrip- 
lures  and  traditions,  and  from  them,  pronouncing 
what  did  bind  or  loose,  or  what  was  forbidden,  and 
what  was  lawful  to  be  done.  For  when,  partly  by 
their  captivity,  and  partly  through  increase  of  traf- 
fic, iliey  were  dispersed  in  considerable  bodies 
through  divers  regions  of  the  world,  it  was  neces- 
sary that  they  should  have  governors  or  magistrates 
to  keep  ihem  in  their  duty,  and  judge  of  criminal 
causes  ;  and  also  Rabbins,  to  teach  them  the  law, 
and  the  tradition  of  their  fathers.  The  first  were 
ordained  adjudkandum,  sed  non  ad  doceyidum  de 
Ileitis  it  vetitis,  i.  e.  to  judge  and  govern,  but  not 
to  teach.  The  second,  ad  docendum  sed  non  ad 
judicandum,  i.  e.  to  teach,  but  not  to  judge  or  go- 
vern." "And  these  the  Apostle  here  declares  to 
be  the  most  honourable,  and  worthy  of  the  chiefest 
reward.  Accordingly,  the  Apostle,  reckoning  up 
the  officers  God  had  appointed  in  the  Church, 
places  teachers  before  goverDmenls ;  1  Cor.  xii. 
28." 

I  am  aware  that  a  number  of  glosses  have  been 
adopted  to  set  aside  the  testimony  of  this  cogent 
text  in  favour  of  Ruling  Elders.  To  enumerate  and 
show  the  invalidity  of  them  all,  would  be  incon- 
sistent with  the  limits  to  which  this  manual  is  re- 
stricted. But  a  few  of  the  most  plausible  and  po- 
pular may  be  deemed  worthy  of  notice. 

Some,  for  example,  have  said,  that,  by  the  El- 
ders that  rule  well  in  this  passage,  civil  magistrates 
are  intended;  while,  by  those  who  labour  in  the 
word  and  doctrine,  ministers  of  the  gospel  are 
pointed  out.  But  it  will  occur  to  every  reflecting 
reader  that,  at  the  time  when  the  passage  of  Scrip- 


NEW  TESTAMENT    CHURCH.  Q\ 

lure  under  consideration  was  addressed  to  Timothy, 
and  for  several  centuries  afterwards,  there  were  no 
Christian  Magistrates  in  the  Church;  and  to  sup- 
pose that  the  Church  is  exhorted  to  choose  heathen 
judges  or  magistrates,  to  compose  differences,  and 
maintain  order  among  the  followers  of  Christ,  is  in 
the  highest  degree  improbable,  not  to  say  altogether 
absurd. 

Others  have  alleged,  that  by  the  Elders  that  rule 
well  are  meant  Deacons.  It  is  enough  to  reply  to 
this  suggestion,  that  it  has  never  been  shown,  or  can 
be  shown,  that  Deacons  are  any  where  in  the  New 
Testament  distinguished  by  the  title  of  Elders  ; 
and,  further,  that  the  function  of  ruling  is  no  where 
represented  as  belonging  to  their  office.  They 
were  appointed  Atxnovm  TpATn^cttg  "  to  serve  tables  ;" 
Acts  vi.  2,  3  ; — but  not  to  act  as  rulers  in  the  house 
of  God.  Of  this,  however,  more  in  a  subsequent 
chapter. 

A  third  class  of  objectors  contend,  that  the  word 
f^itxtiTec,  which  our  translators  have  rendered  espe- 
cially,  ought  to  be  translated  much.  That  it  is  not 
to  be  considered  as  distinguishing  one  class  of  El- 
ders from  another ;  but  as  marking  intensity  of  de- 
gree ;  in  other  words,  that  it  is  meant  to  be  exeget- 
ical  of  those  who  rule  well,  viz  :  those  who  labour 
much,  or  with  peculiar  diligence,  in  the  word  and 
doctrine.  On  this  plan,  the  verse  in  question  would 
read  thus  :  Let  the  Elders  who  rule  well,  that  is 
who  labour  much  in  the  word  and  doctrine,  be  ac- 
counted worthy  of  double  honour.  If  this  were 
adopted  as  the  meaning  of  the  passage,  it  would  go 
to  show,  that  it  is  for  preaching  alone,  and  not  for 
ruling  well,  that  Elders  are  entitled  to  honour. 
But  is  it  rational  or  consistent  with  other  parts  of 
Scripture,  to  suppose  that  no  honour  is  due  to  the 
6 


Q2  TESTIMONY    FROM    THE 

latter?    It  has  also  been  contended,  by  excellent 
Greek  critics,  that  the  structure  of  the  sentence 
will  not,  naturally,  bear  this  interpretation.     It  is 
not  said,  oi  //a^/cTot  xcTr/avTec  as   would  have  been 
the  proper  order  of  the  words,  if  such  had  been  the 
meaning  intended  to  be  conveyed ;  but  f/.tKurct  b< 
KOTTimm: — not  those  who  labour  with  especial  dili- 
gence and  exertion ;  but  especially  those  who  la- 
bour, <fcc.     But  the  most  decisive  consideration  is, 
that  not  a  single  case  can  be  found,  in  the  New 
Testament,  in  which  the  word  //a\/?Ta  has  the  signi- 
fication here  attributed  to  it.     It  is  so  generally 
used  to  distinguish  one  class  of  objects  from  an- 
other, that  we  may  safely  venture  to  say,  it  cannot 
possibly  have  a  different  meaning  in  the  passage 
before  us.     A  few  decisive  examples  will  be  suffi- 
cient.    In  the  same  chapter,  from  which  the  pas- 
sage under  consideration  is  taken,  (1  Tim.  v.  8,) 
it  is  said:  *'  If  any  man  provide  not  for  his  own,  and 
especially  (^*x/cta)  for  those  of  his  own  house,  he 
hath  denied  the  failh,"  <fec.     Again;  Gal.  iv.  10: 
"Let  us  do  good  unto  all  men,  but  especially  (/^^AicTit) 
unto  them   who  are  of  the  household  of  faith." 
Again  ;  Philipp.  iv.  22  :  ♦'  All  the  saints  salute  you, 
chiefly  if^^KHrct)  they  of  Caesar's  household."  Thus, 
also,  2  Tim.  iv.  l.S:   "When  thou  comest,  bring 
with   thee  the  books,  but  especially  [y-ctxH^a.)  the 
parchments."   Further;   1  Tim.  iv.  10:  "Who  is 
the  Saviour  of  all  men,  especially  (^*x/ct*)  of  those 
who  believe."    Again;  Titus  i.  10:   "For  there 
are  many  unruly  and  vain  talkers,  especially  (a"«- 
M^ra.)  they  of  the  circumcision."  Now,  in  all  these 
cases,  there  are  two  classes  of  objects  i^itended  to  be 
distinguished  from  each  other.    Some  of  the  saints 
were  of  Caesar's  household,  and  others  were  not. 
Good  was  to  be  done  to  all  men ;  but  all  were  not 


NEW    TESTAMENT    CHLECH.  (33 

believers.  There  were  many  vain  and  unruly  talkers 
alkitled  to,  but  they  were  not  all  of  the  circumci- 
sion :  and  so  of  the  rest. 

A  fourth  class  of  objectors  to  our  construction  of 
this  passage,  are  certain  prelatists,  who  allege,  that 
by  the  Elders  that  rule  well,  the  Apostle  intends  to 
designate  superannuated  Bishops,  who  though  too 
old  to  labour  in  the  word  and  doctrine,  were  still 
able  to  assist  in  ruling.  To  this  it  is  sufficient  to 
reply,  that,  whether  we  understand  the  "  honor" 
(T//>t«?)  to  which  the  Apostle  refers,  as  intended  to 
designate  pecuniary  support,  or  rank  and  dignity, 
it  would  seem  contrary  to  every  principle,  both  of 
reason  and  Scripture,  that  younger  and  more  vi- 
gorous labourers  in  the  word  and  doctrine,  should 
have  a  portion  of  this  honour  awarded  to  them, 
superior  to  that  which  is  yielded  to  those  who  have 
become  worn  out  in  the  same  kind  of  service. 
These  aged,  venerable,  and  exhausted  dignitaries, 
according  to  this  construction,  are  to  be,  indeed, 
much  honoured,  but  less  than  their  junior  brethren, 
whose  strength  for  labour  still  continues. 

A  further  objection  made  to  our  construction  of 
this  passage  is,  that  when  the  Apostle  speaks  of 
double  honour  {<^'t7rKiig  rifxn^)  as  due  to  those  who  rule 
well,  he  refers,  not  to  respect  and  regard,  but  to 
temporal  support.*     Now,  say  this  class  of  ob- 


*  It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  Calvin,  in  his  Commentary 
on  this  place,  gives  the  following  view  of  the  Apostle's 
meaning-  when  he  speaks  of  double  honour.  "  When 
Chrysostom  interprets  the  phrase  double  honour,  as  im- 
porting support  and  reverence,  I  do  not  impugn  his  opi- 
nion. Let  those  adopt  it  who  think  proper.  But  to  me  it 
appears  more  probable  that  a  comparison  is  here  intended 
between  Widows  and  Elders.  Paul  had  just  before  com- 
manded to  have  Widows  in  honour.     But  Elders  are  still 


54  TESTIMONY  FBOM  THE 

jectors,  as  Presbyterians  never  give  salaries  to  their 
Ruling  Elders,  they  cannot  be  the  kind  of  officers 
contemplated  by  tlie  sacred  writer  in  this  place. 
But  is  it  certain  that  by  the  original  term  here 
translated  "  honour,"  salary,  or  maintenance,  is 
really  intended  ?  Why  not  assign  lo  the  word  t//a>» 
its  more  common  signification,  viz.:  honour,  high 
respect,  reverence?  It  is  common  to  say,  that  the 
illustration  contained  in  the  18ih  verse,  "Thou  shall 
not  muzzle  the  ox  that  ireadeth  out  the  corn  ;  and 
the  labourer  is  worthy  of  his  reward,"  seem  lo  fix 
the  meaning  lo  temporal  support.  But  those  il- 
lustrations only  carry  with  them  the  general  idea  of 
reward  ;  and  surely  a  reward  may  be  of  the  moral 
as  well  as  of  the  pecuniary  kind.  But  supposing 
the  inspired  Apostle  really  lo  mean  double,  that  is 
liberal  maintenance,  still  this  interpretation  does 
not  at  all  militate  against  our  doctrine.  It  might  have 
been  very  proper,  in  the  days  of  Paul,  lo  give  all 
the  Elders  a  decent  temporal  support,  as  a  reward 
for  their  services.  But  if  any  Elders  chose  to  de- 
cline receiving  a  regular  stipend,  as  Paul  himself 
seems  lo  have  done,  he  surely  did  not,  by  this  dis- 
interestedness, forfeit  his  office.  It  may  be  that 
Ruling  Elders  ought  now  lo  receive  a  compensa- 
tion for  their  services,  especially  when  they  devote 
to  the  Church  a  large  pan  of  their  lime  and  talents. 
But  if  any  are  willing  to  render  their  services  gra- 
tuitousl}-,  whether  ihey  be  ruling  or  preaching  El- 
more worthy  of  honour  than  they.  Wherefore  to  these 
double  honour  is  to  be  given."  This  interpretation  is  na- 
tural, and  consistent.  "  Honour  Widows,  says  the  Apostle, 
that  are  widows  indeed;"  but  "let  the  Elders  that  rule 
well  be  counted  worthy  of  double  honour,  especially  those 
that  labour  in  the  word  and  doctrine."  The  same  word  is 
uaed  to  express  honour,  in  both  cases. 


NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH.  55 

ders,  every  one  sees  that  this  cannot  destroy,  or 
even  impair  their  official  standing. 

Accordingly,  it  will  be  seen  in  the  sequel,  that 
there  is  a  concurrence  of  sentiment,  in  favour  of 
our  construction  of  this  celebrated  passage  in  Ti- 
mothy, among  the  most  distinguished  divines  of  all 
denominations,  Protestant  and  Catholic,  Lutheran 
and  Reformed,  truly  remarkable,  and  affording  a 
very  strong  presumptive  argument  in  favour  of  its 
correctness. 

There  is  another  class  of  passages,  already  quot- 
ed in  a  former  part  of  this  chapter,  which  is  en- 
titled to  more  formal  consideration.  I  mean  such 
as  that  found  in  1  Thessalonians  v.  12,  13.  "  And 
we  beseech  you  brethren,  to  know  them  which  la- 
bour among  you,  and  are  over  you  in  the  Lord, 
and  admonish  you  ;  and  to  esteem  them  very  highly 
in  love  for  their  works  sake."  Such  also  as  that 
found  in  Hebrews  xiii.  17.  "  Obey  them  that 
have  the  rule  over  you,  and  submit  yourselves;  for 
they  watch  for  your  souls  as  they  that  must  give 
account,"  &c.  Here  the  inspired  writer  is  evi- 
dently speaking  of  particular  Churches.  He  re- 
presents them  as  each  having  a  body  of  Rulers 
"set  over  them  in  the  Lord,"  who  "watch  over 
them,"  and  whom  they  are  bound  to  "obey."  In 
short,  we  find  a  set  of  officers  spoken  of,  who  are 
not  merely  to  instruct,  and  exhort,  but  to  exercise 
official  authority  in  the  Church.  Now  this  repre- 
sentation can  be  made  to  agree  with  no  other  form 
of  government  than  thatof  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
Not  with  Prelacy;  for  that  presents  no  ruler  in 
any  single  Church  but  the  Rector  only.  It  knows 
nothing  of  a  Parochial  Council,  or  Senate,  who 
conduct  discipline,  and  perform  all  the  duties  of 
spiritual  rule.     Not  with  Independency;    for  ac- 


QQ  TESTIMONY  FROM  THE 

cording  to  llie  essential  principles  of  that  system, 
the  body  of  the  communicants  are  all  equally  rulers, 
and  even  the  Pastor  is  only  the  chairman,  or  pre- 
sident, not  properly  the  Ruler  of  the  Church.  But 
with  the  Presbyterian  form  of  Church  government, 
in  which  every  congregation  is  furnished  with  a 
bench  of  spiritual  Rulers,  whom  the  people  are 
bound  to  reverence  and  obey,  it  agrees  perfectly. 

There  is  only  one  passage  more  which  will  be 
adduced  in  support  of  the  class  of  Elders  before  us. 
This  is  found  in  Matthew  xviii.  15 — 17.  Here  it 
is  believed  that  tiie  17lh  verse,  which  enjoins: 
"Tell  it  to  the  Church,"  has  evidently  a  reference 
to  the  plan  of  discipline  known  to  have  been  pursued 
in  the  Jewish  Synagogue ;  and  that  the  meaning 
is,  "  Tell  it  to  that  Consistory  or  Judicatory,  which 
is  the  Church  acting  by  its  representatives."  It  is 
true,  indeed,  that  some  Independents,  of  more  zeal 
than  caution,  have  confidently  quoted  this  passage 
as  making  decisively  in  favour  of  their  scheme 
of  popular  government.  But  when  carefully  ex- 
amined, it  will  be  found  not  only  by  no  means  to 
answer  their  purpose  ;  but  rather  to  support  the 
Presbyterian  cause.  We  must  always  interpret 
language  agreeably  to  the  well  known  understand- 
ing and  habit  of  the  time  and  the  country  in  which 
it  is  delivered.  Now,  it  is  perfectly  certain  that 
the  phrase:  "Tell  it  to  the  Church,"  was  con- 
stantly in  use  among  the  Jews  to  express  the  car- 
rying a  complaint  to  the  Eldership  or  represen- 
tatives of  the  Church.  And  it  is  quite  as  certain, 
that  actual  cases  occur  in  the  Old  Testament  in 
which  the  term  Church  («x;t/ xcr/*)  jg  applied  to  the 
body  of  Elders.  See  as  an  exam.ple  of  this,  Deu- 
teronomy xxxi.  28,  30,  comparing  our  translation 
with  that  of  the  Seventy,  as  alluded  to  in  a  prece- 


NEW    TESTAMENT    CHUKCH.  (37 

ding  chapter.  We  can  scarcely  avoid  the  conclu- 
sion, then,  that  our  blessed  Lord  meant  to  teach 
his  disciples,  that,  as  it  had  been  in  the  Jewish 
Synagogue,  so  it  would  be  in  the  Christian  Church, 
that  the  sacred  community  should  be  governed  by 
a  bench  of  Rulers  regularly  chosen  and  set  apart 
for  this  purpose. 

In  support  of  this  construction  of  the  passage 
before  us,  we  have  the  concurring  judgment  of  a 
large  majority  of  Protestant  divines,  of  all  denomi- 
nations. "We  have  not  only  the  opinion  of  Calvin, 
Beza,  Paroeus,  and  a  great  number  of  distinguished 
writers  on  the  continent  of  Europe ;  but  also  of 
Lightfoot,  Goodwin,  and  many  others,  both  mi- 
nisters of  the  Church  of  England,  and  the  Inde- 
pendents of  that  country.  It  is  worthy  of  remark, 
too,  that  Chrysostom,  known  to  be  an  eminently 
learned  and  accomplished  Father,  of  the  fourth 
century,  evidently  understands  this  passage  in  the 
Gospel  according  to  St.  Matthew,  as  substantially 
agreeing  wiUi  the  views  of  Presbyterians;  or,  at 
any  rate,  as  totally  rejecting  the  Independent  doc- 
trine. Zanchius  (in  Quart.  Proecept.)  and  Junius 
(Controv.  iii.  Lib.  ii.  Cap.  vi.)  quote  him  as  as- 
serting, in  his  Commentary  on  this  place,  that  by 
the  Church  to  which  the  offence  was  to  be  told, 
we  are  to  understand  the  ^^oi^^zi  k-m  Tr^oirrwriT  of  the 
Church. 

It  may  not  be  improper,  before  taking  leave  of 
the  Scriptural  testimony  in  favour  of  Ruling  El- 
ders, to  take  some  notice  of  an  objection  which 
has  been  advanced  with  much  confidence,  but 
which,  manifesUy,  when  examined,  will  be  found 
destitute  of  the  smallest  force.  It  has  been  said 
that  great  reliance  is  placed  on  the  word  Tr^aT-ruTi^, 
found  in  1  Timothy  v.  17,  as  expressive  of  the  ru- 


(3g  TESTIMONY    FROM    THE 

ling  character  of  the  office  under  consideration; 
whereas,  say  these  objectors,  this  very  word,  as  is 
universally  known  and  acknowledged,  is  applied 
by  several  of  the  early  Fathers  to  Teaching  El- 
ders, to  those  who  evidently  bore  the  office  of  Pas- 
tors of  Churches,  and  who  were,  of  course,  not 
mere  rulers,  but  also  "  labourers  in  the  word  and 
doctrine."  If,  therefore,  this  tide  be  applied  to 
those  who  were  confessedly  teachers,  what  evi- 
dence have  we  that  it  is  intended,  in  any  case, 
to  designate  a  different  class?  This  objection  is 
founded  on  a  total  misrepresentation  of  the  argu- 
ment which  it  is  supposed  to  refute.  The  advo- 
cates of  the  office  of  Ruling  Elder  do  not  contend 
or  believe  that  the  function  of  ruling  is  confined  to 
this  class  of  officers.  On  the  contrary,  they  sup- 
pose and  teach  that  one  class  of  Elders  both  rule 
and  teach,  while  the  other  class  rule  only.  Both, 
according  to  the  doctrine  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  are  TrpoiTra^nr;  but  one  only  "  labour  in  the 
word  and  doctrine."  When,  therefore,  cases  are 
found  in  the  early  records  of  the  Church  in  which 
the  presiding  Elder,  or  Pastor,  is  styled  t^se^-t&v,  the 
fact  is  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  usual  argument 
from  1  Tim.  v.  17  ;  the  import  of  which  we  main- 
tain to  be  this:  Let  all  the  Elders  that  rule  well, 
be  counted  worthy  of  double  honour,  especially 
those  of  their  number  who,  besides  ruling,  besides 
acting  as  rrpciT-rccnr,  in  common  with  the  others,  also 
labour  in  the  word  and  doctrine. 

It  has  also  been  contended  that  the  whole  doc- 
trine of  the  Ruling,  as  distinct  from  the  Teaching 
Elder,  tends  to  weaken,  if  not  wholly  to  destroy, 
the  Presbyterian  argument  in  favour  of  parity  in 
the  Gospel  ministry,  drawn  from  the  fact,  that  both 
Scripture  and  early  Christian  antiquity  represent 


NEW   TESTAMENT   CHURCH.  69 

Bishop  and  Presbyter  as  convertible  titles  for  the 
same  office.  Presbyterians  maintain,  and  I  have 
no  doubt,  with  perfect  truth,  that,  in  the  language 
of  the  New  Testament,  a  Bishop  means  the  Pas- 
tor, or  Overseer  of  a  single  Church  or  parish  ;  that 
Bishop  and  Presbyter  are  not  titles  which  imply 
different  grades  of  office  ;  but  that  a  Presbyter  or 
Eider  who  has  a  pastoral  charge,  who  is  the  over- 
seer of  a  flock,  is  a  Scriptural  Bishop,  and  holds 
the  highest  office  that  Christ  has  instituted  in  his 
Church.  Now,  it  has  been  alleged  by  the  oppo- 
nents of  Ruling  Elders,  that  to  represent  the  Scrip- 
tures as  holding  forth  two  classes  of  Elders,  one 
class  as  both  teaching  and  ruling,  and  the  other  as 
ruling  only;  and,  consequently,  the  latter  as  hold- 
ing a  station  not  exactly  identical  with  the  former; 
amounts  to  a  virtual  surrender  of  the  argument  de- 
rived from  the  identity  of  Bishop  and  Presbyter. 

This  objection,  however,  is  totally  groundless. 
If  we  suppose  Elder,  as  used  in  Scripture,  to  be  a 
generic  term,  comprehending  all  who  bore  rule  in 
the  Church;  and  if  we  consider  the  term  Bishop, 
as  also  a  generic  term,  including  all  who  sustained 
the  relation  of  official  inspectors  or  overseers  of  a 
flock ;  then  it  is  plain  that  all  Bishops  were  Scrip- 
tural Elders ;  and  that  all  Elders,  whether  both 
teachers  and  rulers,  or  rulers  only,  provided  they 
were  placed  over  a  parish,  as  inspectors  or  over- 
seers, were  Scriptural  Bishops.  Now  this,  I  have 
no  doubt,  was  the  fact.  When,  therefore,  the 
Aposde  Paul,  in  writing  to  the  Church  atPhilippi, 
addresses  the  Bishops  and  Deacons ;  and  when  in 
his  conference  with  the  Elders  of  the  Church  of 
Ephesus,  at  Miletus,  he  speaks  of  them  all  equally 
as  Overseers,  or,  as  it  is  in  the  original.  Bishops 
{Ema-KOTTovg-)  of  that  Church,  I  take  for  granted  he  in- 


70  TESTIMONY    FROM  THE 

eluded  the  rulers  as  well  as  the  teachers,  in  both 
instances.  In  a  word,  I  suppose  that,  in  every 
truly  primitive  and  apostolic  Church,  there  was  a 
bench  of  Elders,  or  Overseers,  who  presided  over 
all  the  spiritual  interests  of  the  congregation  ;  that, 
generally,  a  small  part  only  of  these,  and  perhaps 
seldom  more  than  one,  statedly  preached  ;  that  the 
rest,  though  probably  ordained  in  the  same  manner 
witli  their  colleagues,  very  rarely,  if  ever,  taught 
publicly,  but  were  employed  as  inspectors  and  ru- 
lers, and  it  may  be,  also,  in  visiting,  catechising, 
and  instructing  from-kouse  to  house.  If  this  were 
the  case,  and  every  part  of  the  New  Testament 
history  favours  the  supposition,  then  nothing  can 
be  more  natural  than  the  language  of  the  inspired 
writers  in  reference  to  this  whole  subject.  Then 
we  readily  understand  why  the  Apostle  should  say 
to  Titus  :  "  For  this  cause  left  I  thee  in  Crete,  that 
thou  shouldest  set  in  order  the  things  that  are 
wanting,  and  ordain  Elders  in  every  city,  as  I  had 
appointed  thee.  If  any  be  blameless,  &,c. ;  for  a 
Bishop  must  be  blameless,  as  the  steward  of  God, 
&c."  We  may  then  perceive,  why  he  speaks  of  a 
number  of  Bishops  at  Philippi,  and  a  number  also 
at  Ephesus;  and,  in  the  same  breatli,  calls  the 
latter  alternately  Bishops  and  Elders;  and,  on  this 
principle,  we  may  see,  no  less  plainly  why  the 
Apostle  Peter  said:  The  Elders  which  are  among 
you  I  exhort,  who  am  also  an  Elder,  and  a  witness 
of  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  also  a  partaker  of 
the  glory  that  shall  be  revealed.  Feed  the  flock  of 
God  that  is  among  you,  taking  the  oversight 
thereof,  {(TnT-noTrowTtT,)  acting  as  bishops  among  them, 
not  by  constraint  but  willingly;  not  for  filthy  lucre, 
but  of  a  ready  mind ;  neither  as  being  lords  over 
God's  heritage,  but  being  ensamples  to  the  flock. 


NEW    TESTAMENT   CHURCH.  71 

And  accordingly,  it  is  remarkable  that  the  word 
Troiy-dLVATi,  used  ill  the  second  verse  of  the  last  quo- 
tation, is  derived  from  a  word  signifying  a  shep- 
herd, and  carries  with  it  the  ideas  of  guiding,  pro- 
tecting, and  ruling,  as  well  as  feeding  in  appro- 
priate spiritual  pastures.  See  Matthew  ii.  6,  and 
Revelation  ii.  27. 

This  view  of  the  subject  takes  away  all  embar- 
rassment and  difficulty  in  reference  to  the  titles 
given  to  the  primitive  officers  of  the  Church.  There 
is  abundant  evidence  that  every  class  of  Elders, 
as  well  those  who  commonly  officiated  as  rulers 
only,  as  those  who  both  ruled  and  taught,  bore  the 
names  of  Bishops,  Inspectors,  Overseers,  during 
the  apostolic  age,  and  for  some  time  afterwards. 
This  was  a  name  most  significantly  expressive  of 
their  appropriate  function,  which  was  to  overlook, 
direct,  and  rule  each  particular  Church,  for  its 
edification.  How  long  this  title  continued  to  be 
applied  to  all  the  Elders,  indiscriminately,  it  is  not 
easy  to  say.  It  was  probably  in  the  Church,  as 
it  was  known  to  have  been  in  the  Synagogue.  All 
the  rulers  of  the  Synagogue  were  popularly  called 
Archi-synagogi,  as  is  evident  from  several  passages 
in  the  New  Testament ;  but  sometimes,  as  we  learn 
from  the  same  source,  this  title  was  applied,  by 
way  of  eminence,  to  the  presiding  or  principal 
Ruler  of  each  Synagogue.  So  with  regard  to  the 
title  of  Inspector,  Overseer,  or  Bishop,  we  know 
that  all  the  Elders  of  Ephesus  (Acts  xx.  17.  28,) 
were  indiscriminately  called  Bishops  by  the  in- 
spired Paul.  We  know,  too,  that  the  same  Apostle 
recognises  a  plurality  of  Bishops,  or  Overseers,  in 
the  Church  at  Philippi — (chapter  i.  1,) — who 
could  not  possibly  have  been  Prelates,  as  Episco- 
palians themselves  allow.      We   find,  moreover, 


72  TESTIMONY    FROM   THE 

the  same  "  chiefest  of  the  Apostlei?,"  giving  the 
titles  of  Bishop  and  Elder,  wiifioul  discrimination, 
to  all  the  Church  Rulers  directed  to  be  ordained  in 
Ephesus  and  Crete,  as  the  Epistles  to  Timothy  and 
Titus  plainly  evince.  In  those  pure  and  simple 
times  no  difficulty  arose  from  this  general  applica- 
tion of  a  plain  and  expressive  title.  For  mr^re  than 
a  hundred  years  after  the  apostolic  age,  this  title 
continued  to  be  frequently  applied  in  the  snme 
manner,  as  the  writings  of  Clemens  Romanus,  Her- 
mas,  Irenaeus,  and  others,  amply  testify.  We  find 
them  not  only  speaking  of  the  Elders  as  bearing 
rule  in  each  Church;  but  also  calling  the  same 
men,  alternately,  liishops,  and  Elders,  as  was 
evidently  done  in  apostolic  times.  In  process  of 
time,  however,  this  title,  which  was  originally  con- 
sidered as  expressive  of  duty  and  labour,  rather 
than  of  honour,  became  gradually  appropri;jted  to 
the  principal  Elder,  who  usually  presided  in  preach- 
ing and  ordering  the  course  of  the  public  service. 
Not  only  so,  but  as  a  worldly  and  ambitious  spirit 
gained  ground,  he  who  bore  this  title  began  to  ad- 
vance certain  peculiar  claims; — first  those  of  a 
stated  Chairman,  President,  or  Moderator ; — and 
finally  those  of  a  new  order,  or  grade  of  office. 
That  there  was  an  entire  change  in  the  application 
of  the  title  of  Bishop  not  long  after  the  apostolic 
age,  a  majority  of  our  Episcopal  brethren  them- 
selves allow.  They  grant  that  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment this  title  is  given  indiscriminately  to  all  who 
were  intrusted  with  the  instruction  and  care  of  the 
Church.  But  that,  in  the  succeeding  period,  it 
was  gradually  reserved  to  the  highest  order.  In 
other  words,  they  grant  that  the  title  Bishop  had 
a  very  different  meaning  in  the  second  and  third 
centuries,  from  that  which  it  had  borne  in  the 


NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH.  73 

first.  Now,  even  conceding  to  them  that  this 
change  took  place  earlier  than  the  best  records  give 
us  reason  to  believe ;  it  may  be  asked — why  make 
such  a  change  at  all?  Why  not  continue  to  get 
along  with  the  language  which  the  inspired  Apostles 
had  authorized  by  their  use  ?  Why  insidiously 
make  an  old  title,  which  was  familiar  to  the  popular 
ear,  signify  something  very  different  from  what  it 
had  been  wont  to  signify  from  the  beginning ;  and 
thus  palm  a  new  office  with  an  old  name  on  the 
people  ?  Were  there  no  other  fact  established  by 
the  early  writers  than  this,  it  would  be  quite  suffi- 
cient to  convince  us  that  the  apostolic  government 
of  the  Church  was  early  corrupted  by  human  am- 
bition. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

TESTIMONY    OF   THE    CHRISTIAN    FATHERS. 

That  which  is  not  found  in  the  Bible,  how- 
ever fully  and  strongly  it  may  be  enjoined  else- 
where, cannot  be  considered  as  binding  on  the 
Church.  On  the  other  hand,  what  is  plainly  found 
in  the  word  of  God,  though  it  be  no  where  else 
taught,  we  are  bound  to  receive.  Accordingly,  if 
we  find  Ruling  Elders  in  the  New  Testament,  as 
it  is  firmly  believed  we  have  done — it  matters  not, 
as  to  their  substantial  warrant,  how  soon  after  the 
apostolic  age,  they  fell  into  disuse.  Still  if  we 
can  discover  traces  of  them  in  tlie  early  uninspired 
writings  of  the  Christian  Church,  it  will  certainly 
add  something  to  the  chain  of  proof  which  we 
possess  in  their  favour.     It  will  add  strong  pre- 


74  TESTIMONY    OF 

sumption  to  that  which  is  our  decisive  rule.  Let 
us,  then,  see  whether  the  early  Fathers  say  any 
thing  which  can  be  fairly  considered  as  alluding  to 
this  class  of  Church  officers. 

But  before  we  proceed  to  examine  these  wit- 
nesses in  detail,  it  may  not  be  improper  to  make  two 
general  remarks,  which  ought  to  be  kept  steadily 
in  view  through  the  whole  of  this  branch  of  our 
subject. 

The  first  is — that  we  must  be  on  our  guard 
against  the  ambiguous  use  of  the  title,  Ehler,  as  it 
is  expressed  in  diflerent  languages.  When  we 
look  into  the  writings  of  the  Christian  Fathers  who 
lived  during  the  first  two  hundred  years  after 
Christ,  all  of  whom,  if  we  except  TertuUian,  wrote 
in  Greek,  we  find  tliem  generally  using  the  word 
:T^icrCuri^c,T  to  designate  an  Elder.  Now  this  is  pre- 
cisely the  same  word  which  the  advocates  of  Pre- 
lacy apply  to  the  "  second  order,"  as  they  express 
it,  of  tlieir  "  clergy,"  always  called  by  them  "Pres- 
byters." And  when  Presbyterians  translate  this 
word  by  the  term  Elder,*  and  consider  it  as  used, 
at  least  in  many  cases,  to  designate  that  class  of 
ofiicers  which  forms  the  subject  of  this  Essay,  they 
are  considered  and  represented,  by  some  illiterate 
and  narrow  minded  persons,  as  chargeable  with  an 
unfair,  if  not  a  deceptive  use  of  a  term.  This 
charge  is  manifestly  unjust.  It  will  never  be  re- 
peated by  any  candid  individual,  who  is  acquainted 
with  the  Greek  language.  This  is  the  very  word 
which  is  almost  invariably  used  by  the  translators 
of  the  Septuagint,  all  through  the  Old  Testament, 

*  It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  whenever  the  word 
Trgio-Cun^og-  occurs  in  the  New  Testament,  our  translation, 
when  an  ecclesiastical  officer  is  meant,  always  renders  it 
Elder.    So  far  as  is  recollected,  this  is  invariably  done. 


THE   FATHERS. 


to  designate  Elders  who,  confessedly  had  nothing 
to  do  with  preaching.  In  truth,  it  was  a  general 
title  of  office  among  the  Jews,  and  it  was  a  gene- 
ral title  of  office  among  the  early  Christians,  as 
any  one  will  immediately  perceive  by  a  candid 
perusal  of  the  New  Testament.  And  the  fact  is, 
that  if  Presbyterians  wrote  in  Greek,  they  would 
of  course,  employ  this  very  term  to  express  their 
Ruling  Elder.  The  word  "Elder"  is  the  natural, 
literal,  and,  we  may  almost  say,  the  only  proper 
term  by  which  to  express  the  meaning  of  the 
Greek  title  ?r^i<rCvriecT.  And  even  when  we  meet 
in  some  of  the  early  Fathers  with  passages  in  which 
the  officers  of  the  Church  are  enumerated  as  con- 
sisting of  'ETria-KOTTci,  HgiaCvTi^oi^  kai  Atctnovot,  it  may  be 
said,  with  perfect  truth,  that  if  Presbyterians,  at 
the  present  day,  were  called  upon  to  enumerate  the 
standing  officers  in  all  their  Churches,  which  are 
completely  organized  agreeably  to  their  public 
standards — they  would,  beyond  all  doubt,  if  they 
used  the  Greek  language,  represent  their  regular 
ecclesiastical  officers  as  every  where  consisting  of 

ETriO-KOTTOl,  U^iO-Cvri^o:  KAI  HAKOVCIj     meaning   by  iTlTKOTrCTy 

a  parochial  Pastor  or  Overseer,  in  which  sense 
Prelatists  themselves  acknowledge  the  title  to  have 
been  generally  used  in  the  apostolic  age  ;  and  mean- 
ing by  the  title  jt^so-^i^ts^os-,  a  Ruling  Elder,  which 
we  have  no  doubt  has  been  shown,  and  will  be  yet 
further  shown  to  be,  in  many  cases,  the  proper  in- 
terpretation of  the  word.  When,  therefore,  we 
thus  translate  the  word  in  some  of  the  following 
quotations,  let  no  one  feel  as  if  we  were  taking  an 
unwarrantable  liberty.  No  imputation  of  this  kind, 
assuredly,  will  be  made  by  any  reader  of  compe- 
tent learning  to  judge  in  the  case. 

The  second  preliminary  remark  is,  that,  per- 


76  TESTIMONY    OF 

haps,  no  class  of  Church  officers  would  be,  on  ihe 
whole,  so  likely  to  fall  into  cJisrepule  after  the 
apostolic  age,  and  be  discontinued,  as  that  which 
is  now  under  consideration.  We  know  that  the 
purity  of  the  Church  began  to  decline  immediately 
after  the  apostolic  age.  Nay,  while  the  Apostles 
were  still  alive,  "the  mystery  of  iniquity"  had 
already  begun  "  to  work."  Corruption,  both  in 
faith  and  practice,  had  crept  in,  and,  in  some  places, 
to  an  alarming  and  most  distressing  extent.  And, 
after  their  departure,  it  soon  "  came  in  like  a  flood." 
The  discipline  of  the  Church  became  relaxed,  and, 
after  a  while,  in  a  great  measure  prostrated.  The 
hints  dropped  by  several  writers  in  the  second 
century,  and  the  strongly  coloured  and  revolting 
pictures  given  by  Origen  and  Cyprian,  of  the  stale 
of  the  Church  in  their  own  limes,  present  a  view 
of  this  subject  which  needs  no  comment.  Now, 
in  such  a  state  of  things,  was  it  not  natural  that 
the  office  of  those  whose  peculiar  duty  it  was  to 
inspect  the  members  of  the  Church ;  to  take  cog- 
nizance of  all  their  aberrations  ;  and  to  maintain  a 
pure  and  scriptural  discipline,  should  be  unpopular, 
and  finally  as  much  as  possible  crowded  out  of 
public  view,  discredited,  and  gradually  laid  aside. 
But  this  is  not  all.  Shortly  after  the  apostolic 
age,  several  ecclesiastical  officers,  as  is  confessed 
on  all  hands,  were  either  invented  or  modified,  so 
as  to  suit  the  declining  spirituality  of  the  times. 
To  mention  but  a  single  example.  The  Deacons 
began  to  claim  higher  dignity  and  powers.  Sub- 
Deacons  were  introduced  to  perform  some  of  those 
functions  which  had  originally  belonged  to  Deacons, 
but  which  they  had  become  too  proud  to  perform. 
Was  it  either  unnatural,  then,  or  improbable — 
since  things  of  a  similar  kind  actually  took  place — 


THE    FATHERS. 


i  i 


that  in  the  course  of  the  undeniable  degeneracy 
which  was  now  reigning,  the  Ruling  Elders  of  the 
Church  should  tind  the  employment  to  which  they 
had  been  originally  destined,  irksome  both  to  them- 
selves and  others  ;  by  no  means  adapted  to  gratify 
either  the  love  of  gain,  or  the  love  of  pleasure 
which  seemed  to  be  the  order  of  the  day ; — and 
that  both  parties  gradually  united  in  dropping  tiie 
inspection  and  discipline  once  committed  to  their 
hands,  and  turning  their  attention  to  objects  more 
adapted  to  the  taste  of  ambitious,  worldly-minded 
Churchmen.  And  this  result  would  be,  at  once, 
more  likely  to  occur  and  might  have  occurred  with 
less  opposition  and  noise,  if  we  suppose,  as  some 
learned  men  have  done,  that  the  Ruling  and  Teach- 
ing Elders,  from  the  beginning,  not  only  both  bore 
the  general  name  of  Elders,  but  were  both  set  apart 
to  their  office  with  the  same  formalities.  If  this 
were  the  case,  then  there  was  nothing  to  change,  in 
virtually  discarding  the  office  of  Ruling  Elder,  but 
gradually  to  neglect  all  their  appropriate  duties,  and 
in  an  equally  gradual  manner  to  slide  into  the 
assumption  of  duties,  and  especially  that  of  public 
preaching,  which,  in  the  primitive  Church,  they 
had  not  been  expected  to  perform. 

Keeping  these  things  in  mind,  let  us  examine 
whether  some,  both  of  the  early  and  the  late  Fa- 
thers, do  not  express  themselves  in  a  manner  which 
renders  it  probable,  or  rather  certain,  that  they  had 
in  view  the  class  of  Elders  of  which  we  are 
speaking. 

In  the  Epislle  of  Clemens  Romanus,  who  lived 
toward  the  close  of  the  first  century,  to  the  Church 
at  Corinih,  we  find  the  worthy  Father  remonstra- 
ting with  the  members  of  that  Church  for  having 
risen  up  against  their  Elders,  and  thrust  them  out 
7 


78  TESTIMONY   OF 

of  office,  perhaps  for  the  very  reason  just  hinted 
at,  that  they  found  their  inspection  and  rule  un- 
comfortable. Accordingly  Clemens  addresses  the 
Corinthian  Christians  in  the  following  manner: 
"It  is  a  shame,  my  beloved,  yea,  a  very  great 
shame,  to  hear  that  the  most  firm  and  ancient 
Church  of  the  Corinthians  should  be  led,  by  one 
or  two  persons,  to  rise  up  against  their  Elders." 
{TT^iyCtJTi^ovT.)  Again:  *' Let  the  flock  of  Christ  en- 
joy peace  with  the  Elders  {Tr^io-CvTi^m)  that  are  set 
over  it.''  Again:  "Do  ye,  therefore,  who  first 
laid  the  foundation  of  this  sedition,  submit  your- 
selves to  your  Elders,  and  be  instructed  into 
repentance,  bending  the  knee  of  your  hearts;" 
Epist.  47.  54,  57. 

In  these  extracts  we  find  an  entire  coincidence 
with  the  language  of  the  New  Testament ;  a  plain 
indication  that  in  every  Church  there  was  a  plu- 
rality of  Elders;  and  a  distinct  recognition  of  the 
idea  that  these  Elders  were  rulers,  in  other  words, 
held  a  station  of  authority  and  government  over 
"  the  flock"  of  which  they  were  officers. 

In  the  EpisUes  of  Ignatius,  who  lived  at  the  close 
of  the  first,  and  the  beginning  of  the  second  cen- 
tury, we  find  much  said  about  Elders,  (Treja-Cun^oi.) 
The  following  is  a  specimen  of  the  manner  in 
which  he  speaks  of  them,  in  connexion  with  the 
other  classes  of  Church  officers.  "  Obey  your 
Bishop  and  the  Presbytery  (the  Eldership)  with 
an  entire  aflection ;"  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians,  20. 
*'  I  exhort  you  that  you  study  to  do  all  things  in  a 
divine  concord  :  your  Bishop  presiding  in  the  place 
of  God,  your  Elders  in  the  place  of  the  council  of 
the  Apostles,  and  your  Deacons,  most  dear  to  me, 
being  intrusted  with  the  ministry  of  Jesus  Christ." 
Again ;  "  Do  nothing  without  your  Bishop  and 


THE    FATHERS.  79 

Elders ;"  Epistle  to  the  Magnesians,  6.  7.  "  It 
is,  therefore,  necessary,  that,  as  ye  do,  so  without 
your  Bishop  you  should  do  nothing;  also  be  ye 
subject  to  your  Elders,  as  to  the  Apostles  of  Jesus 
Christ  our  hope. "  Again ;  "  Let  all  reverence  the 
Deacons  as  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  Bishop  as  the 
Father,  and  the  Elders  as  the  Sanhedrim  of  God, 
and  the  college  of  the  Apostles."  Again:  "  Fare 
ye  well  in  Jesus  Christ;  being  subject  to  your 
Bishop  as  to  the  command  of  God,  and  so  likewise 
to  the  Presbytery,  (or  Eldership;")  Epistle  to  the 
Trallians,  2.  3,  13.  "  Which/also  I  salute  in  the 
blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  which  is  our  eternal  and  un- 
detiled  joy;  especially  if  they  are  at  unity  with 
the  Bishop  and  Elders,  who  are  with  him,  and  the 
Deacons  appointed  according  to  the  mind  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Again  :  "  There  is  one  cup,  and  one  altar, 
and  also  one  Bishop,  together  with  his  Eldership, 
and  the  Deacons,  my  fellow-servants."  Again: 
*'  I  cried  whilst  I  was  among  you  ;  I  spake  with  a 
loud  voice,  Attend  to  the  Bishop,  to  the  Eldership, 
and  to  the  Deacons ;"  Epistle  to  the  Philadel- 
phians,  Pref.  4.  7.  See  that  ye  all  follow  your 
Bishop,  as  Jesus  Christ,  the  Father,  and  the 
Presbytery  (or  Eldership)  as  the  Apostles;  and 
reverence  the  Deacons  as  the  command  of  God." 
Again  :  "  It  is  not  lawful  without  the  Bishop  either 
to  baptize,  or  to  celebrate  the  holy  communion." 
Again:  "I  salute  your  very  worthy  Bishop;  and 
your  venerable  Eldership,  and  your  Deacons,  my 
fellow  servants ;  Epistle  to  the  Smyrneans,  8.  12. 
"  My  soul  be  security  for  them  who  submit  to 
their  Bishop,  with  their  Elders  and  Deacons;" 
Epistle  to  Polycarp,  G. 

The  friends  of  Prelacy  have  long  been  in  the 
habit  of  insisting  much  on  these  and  similar  quo- 


80  TESTIMONY    OF 

tations  from  Ignatius,  as  affordinor  decisive  support 
to  their  system.  But  I  must  think  that  their  con- 
fidence in  this  witness  has  not  the  smallest  solid 
ground.*  For,  let  it  be  remembered  that  these 
several  Epistles  were  directed,  not  to  large,  prela- 
tical  dioceses,  but  to  single  parishes,  or  congrega- 
tions;  that  in  each  of  these  Churches  there  are 
represented  as  being,  a  Bishop,  a  Presbytery,  or 
bench  of  Elders,  and  a  plurality  of  Deacons  ;  and, 
therefore,  that  it  is  parochial  episcopacy,  and  not 
diocesan,  or  prelatical,  that  is  here  described.  And, 
accordingly,  we  learn  from  different  parts  of  these 
Epistles,  that,  in  the  time  of  Ignatius,  each  Bishop 
had  under  his  pastoral  charge,  but  "  one  altar," 
*'  one  cup,"  "  one  loaf,"  i.  e.  one  communion  table, 
and  that  tiie  people  under  his  care  habitually  came 
together  to  "  one  place,"  in  other  words,  formed 
"one  assembly." 

Agreeably  to  this  view  of  the  subject,  it  is  worthy 
of  notice  that  Ignatius  calls  the  Presbyters,  or 
Elders  of  each  Church  which  he  addresses,  the 
o-wvfJg/cv  0ssy,  that  is  the  Sanhedrim,  or  council  of 
God.  But  with  what  propriety  could  he  designate 
them  by  this  title,  the  popular  title  of  a  well  known 
Jewish  ecclesiastical  court,  if  they  did  not  consti- 
tute a  corresponding  court  in  the  Christian  Church; 
and  if  the  whole  body  of  ecclesiastical  officers 
which  he  addressed  from  time  to  time  were  not  the 
rulers  of  a  single  flock?  The  truth  is,  the  whole 
language  of  Ignatius,  in  reference  to  the  officers  of 
whom  he   speaks,   is   strictly   Presbyterian,  and 

*  Intelligent  readers  are  no  doubt,  aware  that  the  genu- 
ineness of  the  Epistles  of  Ignatius  has  been  called  in  ques- 
tion by  a  great  majority  of  Protestant  divines,  and  is  not 
only  really  but  deeply  questionable.  All  inquiry,  however, 
on  this  subject  is  waved  for  the  present. 


THE   FATHERS.  8X 

cannot  be  considered  as -affording  countenance  to 
any  other  system  without  doing  violence  to  its  na- 
tural import. 

Accordingly,  it  is  worthy  of  notice,  that  the 
learned  Mr.  Joseph  Mede,  a  very  able  and  zealous 
divine  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  a  decisive 
advocate  of  diocesan  Episcopacy,  gives  a  represen- 
tation of  the  state  of  things  in  the  time  of  Ignatius, 
which,  in  substance,  falls  in  with  our  account  of 
the  character  of  the  Churches  addressed  by  that 
Father.  "  It  should  seem,"  says  he,  "  that  in 
those  first  times,  before  dioceses  were  divided  into 
those  lesser  and  subordinate  Churches,  which  we 
call  parishes,  and  Presbyters  assigned  to  them, 
they  had  only  one  altar  to  a  Church,  taking  Church 
for  the  company  or  corporation  of  the  faithful, 
united  under  one  Bishop  or  Pastor;  and  that  was 
in  the  city  or  place  where  the  Bishop  had  his  see 
and  residence.  Unless  this  were  so,  whence  came 
it  else,  that  a  schismatical  Bishop  was  said,  con- 
stihiere,  or  collocare  aliud  altare?  And  that  a 
Bishop  and  an  Altar,  are  made  correlatives?"* 

The  same  fact  is  asserted  by  Bishop  Stilling- 
fleet,  in  his  Sermon  against  Separation.  "Though, 
when  the  Churches  increased,"  says  he,  "  the  oc- 
casional meetings  were  frequent  in  several  places; 
yet  still  there  was  but  one  Church,  and  one  Altar, 
and  one  Baptistery,  and  one  Bishop,  with  many 
Presbyters  attending  him.  Which  is  so  plain  in 
antiquity,  as  to  the  Churches  planted  by  the 
Apostles  themselves,  that  none  but  a  great  stranger 
to  the  history  of  the  Church  can  call  it  in  question. 
It  is  true,  after  some  time,  in  the  great  cities,  they 
had  distinct  places   alloted,  and  Presbyters  fixed 

*  Discourse  on  Church  Government,  p.  48. 


§2  TESTIMONY   OF 

among  ihera;  and  such  allotments  were  called  Ti- 
tidi  at  Rome,  LaurcB  at  Alexandria,  and  parishes 
in  other  places.  But  these  were  never  thought, 
then,  to  be  new  Churches,  or  to  have  any  inde- 
pendent government  in  themselves;  but  were  all  in 
subjection  to  the  Bishop,  and  his  college  of  Pres- 
byters ;  of  which  multitudes  of  examples  might  be 
brought  from  the  most  aiUlientic  testimonies  of  an- 
tiquity, if  a  thing  so  evident  needed  any  proof  at  all. 
And  yet  this  distribution,  (into  distinct  Tituli,)  even 
in  cities,  was  looked  on  as  so  uncommon  in  those 
elder  times,  that  Epiphanius  takes  notice  of  it  as 
an  extraordinary  thing  at  Alexandria ;  and,  there- 
fore, it  is  propably  supposed  that  there  was  no 
such  thing  in  all  the  cities  of  Crete  in  his  time. 

That  the  Elders  spoken  of  so  frequently  by  Ig- 
natius, were  all  the  officers  of  a  single  parish  or 
Congregation,  is  also  evident,  not  only  from  the 
titles  which  he  gives  to  the  body  of  Elders;  but 
also  from  the  duties  which  he  represents  as  incum- 
bent on  the  Bishop  with  whom  these  Elders  were 
connected.  It  is  represented  as  the  duty  of  the 
Bishop  to  be  present  wiih  his  flock  whenever  they 
came  together;  to  conduct  their  prayers;  and  to 
preside  in  all  their  religious  assemblies.  He  is 
spoken  of  as  the  only  peison  who  was  authorized, 
in  ordinary  cases,  to  administer  Baptism,  and  the 
Lord's  Supper;  as  the  person  by  whom  all  mar- 
riages among  the  people  of  his  charge  were  cele- 
brated; whose  duty  it  was  to  be  personally  ac- 
quainted with  all  his  flock  ;  who  was  bound  to  take 
notice,  with  his  own  eye,  of  those  who  were  ab- 
sent from  public  worship;  to  attend  to  the  wants 
of  the  widows  and  all  the  poor  of  his  congregation  ; 
to  seek  out  all  by  name,  and  not  to  overlook  even 
the  servant  men  and  maids  under  his  care;  to  in- 


THE    FATHERS.  §3 

Struct  the  children;  to  reconcile  differences,  and, 
in  short,  to  attend  to  all  those  objects,  in  detail, 
which  are  considered  as  devolving  on  every  faith- 
ful parish  minister.  Now,  all  these  representations 
so  plainly  apply  to  the  pastor  of  a  single  Church, 
and  are  so  evidently  impossible  to  be  realized  by 
any  other  person,  that  it  would  be  a  waste  of  time, 
and  an  insult  to  common  sense,  to  attempt  a  more 
formal  establishment  of  the  position. 

But  if  the  Bishop  of  Ignatius,  be  a  simple  paro- 
chial Bishop,  in  other  words,  ihe  ordinary  pastor 
of  a  congregation  ;  and  if  the  Presbytery,  or  bench 
of  Elders  of  which  he  so  frequently  speaks,  are  to 
be  considered  as  all  belonging  to  a  single  parish; 
then  we  can  scarcely  avoid  the  conclusion,  that 
they  were  not  all  of  them  employed  in  public 
preaching;  but  that  their  principal  employment 
was,  as  assistants  of  the  pastor,  and  in  union  with 
him,  to  discharge  the  duties  of  Inspectors  and  Ru- 
lers of  the  Church. 

Again  ;  Polycarp,  writing  to  the  Church  of  Phi- 
lippi,  most  evidently  and  unequivocally  conveys 
the  idea,  that  there  was  a  plurality  of  Presbyters, 
(or  Elders,)  not  only  in  his  own  Church,  but  also 
in  that  to  which  he  wrote ;  and  that  they  were  the 
regularly  appointed  ecclesiastical  rulers.  He  ad- 
dressed them  thus  :  "  Let  the  Elders  be  tender  and 
merciful,  compassionate  towards  all,  reclaiming 
those  which  have  fallen  into  errors ;  visiting  all 
that  are  weak  ;  not  negligent  of  the  widow  and  the 
orphan,  and  of  him  that  is  poor;  but  ever  provid- 
ing v/hat  is  honest  in  the  sight  of  God  and  men; 
abstaining  from  all  wrath,  respect  of  persons,  and 
uprighteous  judgment;  avoiding  covetousness  ;  not 
hastily  believing  a  report  against  any  man ;  not 


§4  TESTIMONY    OF 

rigid  in  judgment;  knowing  that  we  are  all  faulty, 
and  obnoxious  to  judgment."* 

Cyprian,  in  his  29ih  Epistle,  directed  "  to  his 
brethren,  the  Elders  and  Deacons,"  expresses  him- 
self in  the  following  terms: 

"  You  are  to  take  notice  that  I  have  ordained 
Saturus,  a  reader,  and  the  confessor  Optatus,  a  sub- 
Deacon;  whom  we  had  all  before  agreed  to  place 
in  the  rank  and  degree  next  to  that  of  the  clergy. 
Upon  Easter  day,  we  made  one  or  two  trials  of 
Saturus,  in  reading,  when  we  were  approving  our 
readers  before  the  teaching  Presbyters  ;  and  then 
appointed  Oplatus  from  among  the  readers,  to  be  a 
teacher  of  the  hearers."  On  this  passage,  the  Kev. 
Mr.  Marshall,  the  Episcopal  translator  and  com- 
mentator of  Cyprian,  remarks:  "It  is  hence,  I 
think,  apparent  that  all  Presbyters  were  not  teach- 
ers, but  assisted  the  Bishop  in  other  parts  of  his 
office."  And  Bishop  Fell,  another  editor  and  com- 
mentator of  Cyprian,  remarks  on  the  same  passage 
in  the  following  words :  "  Inter  Presby teros  recfores 
et  doctores  olim  dislinxisse  videtur  divus  Paulus ; 
1  'J'im.  V.  17."  i.  e.  St.  Paul  appears  to  have  made 
a  distinction,  in  ancient  limes,  between  teaching 
and  ruling  Elders,  in  1  'I'imoihy  v.  17.  Here  two 
learned  Episcopal  divines  explicitly  acknowledged 
the  distinction  between  teaching  and  ruling  Elders 
in  the  primitive  Church  ;  and  one  of  them  an  emi- 
nent Bishop,  not  only  allows  that  Cyprian  referred 
to  this  distinction  but  also  quotes  as  an  authority 
for  ii  ihe  principal  text  which  Presbyterians  adduce 
for  the  same  purpor^e. 

There  is  another  passage  in  Cyprian's  40th 
Epistle,  which  the  very  learned  authors  of  the  Jus 

*  Epistle  to  the  Philippians,  Sect.  6. 


THE    FATHERS.  §5 

Divinum  Regiminis  Ecdesiastici*  consider  as 
containing  an  allusion  to  tlie  office  in  question,  and 
which  may  not  be  unworthy  of  notice.  At  the 
time  when  Cyprian  wrote  this  Letter,  he  was  in 
a  state  of  exile  from  his  Church.  It  is  directed  to 
the  Elders,  Deacons,  and  People  at  large,  of  his 
congregation  ;  and  contains  an  expression  of  his 
wish  that  one  Nuraidicus  should  be  reckoned,  or 
have  a  place  assigned  him  with  the  Presbyters,  or 
Elders  of  that  Church,  and  sit  with  the  clergy. 
And  yet  it  would  appear  that  this  was  only  as  a 
ruling,  and  not  as  a  teaching  Elder  that  he  was  to 
be  received  by  them,  for  Cyprian  subjoins :  He 
shall  be  promoted,  if  God  permit,  to  a  more  distin- 
guished place  in  his  religion,  (or  his  religious 
function,)  when,  by  the  protection  of  Providence, 
I  shall  return."  Here,  it  seems,  the  Presbytery, 
or  Eldership  in  that  Church  were  directed  imme- 
diately to  receive,  or  set  apart,  this  man  to  the  of- 
fice of  Elder  among  them  ;  and  their  absent  pastor, 
or  Bishop,  promises  that,  when  he  returns,  Numi- 
dicus  shall  be  promoted  to  a  still  higher  office. 
Now  the  only  supposable  promotion  in  this  case 
was  to  the  office  of  a  Teaching  Elder.  That  the 
passage  is  very  naturally  susceptible  of  this  con- 
struction, none  will  deny.  At  any  rate,  it  is  adopt- 
ed by  some  of  the  most  mature  divines  and  scho- 
lars in  England,  of  the  seventeenth  century  ;  how- 
ever unceremoniously  it  may  have  been  since  re- 
jected by  less  competent  judges. 

Accordingly,  it  is  worthy  of  notice,  that  the  fa- 
mous Henry  Dodwell,  one  of  the  most  learned  and 
zealous  Episcopal  writers  in  the  British  empire,  of 
the  seventeenth  century,  notwithstanding  his  deter- 

*  Jus  Divinum,  &c.  p.  171,  172. 
8 


g5  TESTIMONY  OF 

mined  opposition  to  every  thing  peculiarly  Pres- 
byterian ;  yet,  in  his  celebrated  Dissertations  on 
Cyprian,  freely  grants,  that,  in  the  days  of  that 
Father  there  were  Elders  or  Presbyters  in  the 
Christian  Church  who  did  not  preach.  He  repre- 
sents this  fact  as  undoubtedly  taught  by  Cyprian, 
in  his  Epistles,  and  particularly  refers,  for  proof, 
to  the  first  of  the  passages  cited  in  a  preceding 
page.  Nay,  he  expresses  a  full  persuasion  that  a 
similar  fact  existed  in  the  apostolic  Church,  and 
quotes  1  Timothy  v.  17,  as  a  decisive  confirma- 
tion of  his  opinion.*  The  notion,  then,  that  all 
testimony  supposed  to  be  derived  from  Cyprian 
in  favour  of  non-preaching  Elders,  is  a  dream  of 
modern  sectaries,  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  a  fa- 
vourite point  in  Church  government,  is  plainly  not 
tenable.  Some  of  the  best  talents  and  most  mature 
learning  in  the  Christian  Church,  without  any 
leaning  to  Presbyterian  opinions,  have  decisively 
interpreted  that  Father  as  setting  forth  such  a  class 
of  Elders. 

Hyppolytus,  who  was  nearly  contemporary  with 
Cyprian,  repeatedly  speaks  of  these  Elders  as  ex- 
isting, and  as  exercising  authority  in  his  day.  In 
-his  Tract  "  Against  the  heresy  of  a  certain  Noetus," 
he  states,  in  the  beginning  of  the  work,  that  Noetus 
being  charged  with  certain  heretical  opinions,  the 
*'  Elders  (Tr^i'r/^urt^ot'j  cited  him  to  appear,  and  ex- 
amined him  in  the  presence  of  the  Church  ;"  that 
Noetus  having  at  first  denied,  but  afterwards  openly 
avowed  the  opinions  imputed  to  him — "  the  Elders 
summoned  him  a  second  time,  condemned  him, 
and  cast  him  out  of  the  Church."  It  seems 
then,  that  in  the  third  century  there  were  Elders, 

*  Dissertationes  Cyprianicar?,  vi.  Sect.  4,  5,  6. 


THE  FATHERS.  87 

whose  duty  it  was  to  examine,  try,  and  excom- 
municate such  members  of  the  Church  as  were 
found  delinquent  with  respect  to  either  doctrine  or 
morals.  In  this  case,  a  part,  at  least,  of  the  trial, 
seems  to  have  been  conducted  "  in  the  presence  of 
the  Church,"  of  which  they  were  rulers  ;  but  still 
the  trial,  conviction,  and  excommunication  were  by 
the  Elders. 

Origen,  who,  it  is  well  known,  flourished  a  little 
more  than  two  hundred  years  after  Christ,  in  the 
following  passage,  has  a  plain  reference  to  the  class 
of  officers  under  consideration.  "  There  are  some 
Rulers  appointed  whose  duty  it  is  to  inquire  con- 
cerning the  manners  and  conversation  of  those  who 
are  admitted,  that  they  may  debar  from  the  congre- 
gation such  as  commit  filthiness."*  This  passage 
is  replete  with  important  and  conclusive  testimony. 
It  not  only  proves,  that,  in  the  time  of  Origen, 
there  were  Rulers  in  the  Christian  Church  ;  but 
that  the  chief  and  peculiar  business  of  these  Rulers 
was  precisely  that  which  we  assign  to  Ruling 
Elders,  viz. :  inspecting  the  members  of  the 
Church;  watching  over  all  its  spiritual  interests; 
admitting  to  its  communion  those  who,  on  inquiry, 
were  found  worthy  ;  and  debarring  those  who  were 
in  any  way  immoral.  It  is  perfectly  evident  from 
this  passage  alone,  that,  in  the  days  of  this  learned 
Father,  the  government  and  discipline  of  the  Church 
were  not  conducted  by  the  body  of  the  communi- 
cants at  large,  but  by  a  bench  of  rulers. 

The  same  important  fact  is  also  indubitably  im- 
plied in  the  language  of  Origen  in  another  place. 
In  his  seventh  Homily  on  Joshua,  he  speaks  of 
one  who,  "  having  been  thrice  admonished,  and 

*  Contra  Celsum.   Lib.  iii.  p.  142.    Edit.  Cantab.  1677 


88  TESTIMONY   OF 

being  unwilling  to  repent,  was  cut  off  from  the 
Church  by  its  rulers."  Those  who  cut  off  then, 
from  the  communion  of  the  Church,  and  restored 
the  penitent,  in  the  lime  of  Origen,  were  not  the 
body  of  the  communicants,  but  a  bench  of  Elders. 
This  great  historical  fact  is,  moreover,  explicitly 
established,  as  having  existed  in  the  third  century, 
(the  age  of  Origen,)  by  the  INIagdeburgh  Centu- 
riators,  a  body  of  very  learned  Lutheran  Divines, 
contemporary  with  Melancthon,  and  whose  autho- 
rity as  ecclesiastical  historians,  is  deservedly  high. 
*'  The  right,"  say  they,  "  of  deciding  respecting 
such  as  were  to  be  excommunicated,  or  of  receiv- 
ing, upon  their  repentance,  such  as  had  fallen,  was 
vested  in  the  Elders  of  the  Church.* 

In  the  Gefsta  Purgationis  Cceciliani  et  Felicis, 
preserved  at  the  end  of  Optatus,  and  commonly 
referred  to  the  beginning  of  the  fourth  century,  we 
meet  with  the  following  enumeration  of  Church 
officers  :  "  Presbyteri,  Diaconi  et  Seniores,"  i.  e. 
*'  The  Presbyters,  the  Deacons,  and  the  Elders." 
And  a  little  after  is  added  : — "  Adhibite  conclericos, 
et  Seniores  plebis,  ecclesiasticos  viros,  et  inquirant 
diligenter  quae  sint  istae  dissentiones,"  i.  e.  "  Call 
the  fellow  clergymen  and  Elders  of  the  people, 
ecclesiastical  men,  and  let  them  inquire  diligently 
what  are  these  dissentions."  In  that  assembly, 
likewise,  several  letters  were  produced  and  read  ; 
one  addressed,  Clero  et  Senioribus,  i.  e.  '*  to  the 
clergy  and  the  Elders;"  and  another,  Clericis  et 
Senioribus,  i.  e.  "  to  the  Clergymen  and  the 
Elders."  Here,  then,  is  a  class  of  men  expressly 
recognised  as  ecclesiastical  men,  or  Church  offi- 
cers ;  who  are  styled  Elders;  who  were  constituent 

*  Cent.  iiL  Cap.  vii.  p.  151. 


THE  FATHERS.  89 

members  of  a  solemn  ecclesiastical  assembly,  or 
judicatory ;  who  are  expressly  charged  with  in- 
quiring into  matters  connected  with  the  discipline 
of  the  Church ;  and  yet  carefully  distinguished 
from  the  Clergy,  with  whom  they  met,  and  offi- 
cially united  in  the  transaction  of  business.  If 
these  be  not  the  Elders  of  whom  we  are  in  search, 
we  may  give  up  all  the  rules  of  evidence. 

Some,  indeed,  have  said,  that  the  phrase  eccle- 
siasticos  vivos,  in  one  of  the  passages  last  cited, 
was  not  intended  to  designate  Church  officers  at 
all;  that  this  phrase  was  early  introduced  to  dis- 
tinguish "  men  of  the  Church,"  i.  e.  Christians 
from  Pagans,  and  other  enemies  of  Christ:  and 
that  it  probably  had  some  such  meaning,  and  no- 
thing more,  in  the  ancient  records  from  which  the 
foregoing  extracts  are  made.  It  is  freely  granted 
that  the  phrase,  ecdesiastici  viri,  was,  for  a  time 
employed,  in  the  Christian  Church,  as  well  as  by 
the  surrounding  heathen,  in  the  sense,  and  for  the 
purpose  just  mentioned.  That  is,  when  Christians 
were  spoken  of,  as  distinguished  from  Jews,  Infi- 
dels, Heretics,  &;c.,  they  were  called  ecclesiastical 
men,  importing,  that  they  did  not  belong  to  Jewish 
Synagogues,  or  to  Heathen  Temples,  or  to  Here- 
tical sects ;  but  were  adherents,  or  members  of  the 
Church  of  Christ.  But  it  is  well  known,  that  this 
language  was  never  employed  in  this  sense  among 
Christians  themselves,  when  distinguishing  one 
class  of  their  own  body  from  another.  When 
used  in  this  case,  it  always  designated  men  in 
ecclesiastical  office.*  Besides,  in  the  passage  be- 
fore us,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  phrase  under 

*  Bingham's  Origines  Ecclesiasticce,  Book  i.  chapter  i. 
section  8. 


90  TESTIMONY   OF 

consideration  was  used  in  the  latter  sense,  and  not 
in  the  former.  For  the  ecclesiastical  men,  in  these 
passages  are  represented  as  joined  with  the  clergy 
in  ecclesiastical  functions ;  especially  as  directed 
to  investigate  and  settle  ecclesiastical  dissensions. 
Surely  this  could  neither  be  required  nor  expected 
of  men  who  sustained  no  ofRce,  and  were,  of  course, 
invested  with  no  authority  in  the  Church. 

Another  objection  which  has  been  confidently 
urged  against  that  construction  which  we  have  put 
upon  the  extracts  from  the  Gesta  Purgationis,  4*c., 
is  that  the  Seniors  or  Elders,  of  which  they  speak, 
are  mentioned  after  Deacons,  and,  therefore,  are  to 
be  considered  as  inferior  to  them.  "  Now,"  say 
these  objectors,  "  the  Ruling  Elders  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  are  always  considered  and  repre- 
sented, by  the  advocates  of  that  denomination,  as 
above  Deacons,  rather  than  below  them,  on  the 
scale  of  ecclesiastical  precedence.  Of  course,  the 
Senior  here  spoken  of,  cannot  belong  to  the  class 
of  officers  for  which  they  contend."  To  this  ob- 
jection it  is  sufficient  to  reply,  that  the  mere  order 
in  which  titles  are  arranged,  cannot  be  considered 
as  decisive  of  the  relative  rank  with  which  these 
titles  are  connected.  At  once  to  illustrate  and  con- 
firm this  remark,  a  single  example  will  suffice.  In 
the  Epistles  of  Ignatius,  when  he  speaks  of  Bi- 
shops, or  Pastors,  Elders  and  Deacons,  no  intelli- 
gent reader  supposes  that  he  means  to  represent 
the  second  and  third  of  these  classes  of  offices  as 
inferior  to  the  first.  Yet,  in  his  Epistle  to  the 
Trallians,  he  speaks  thus  :  "  Let  all  reverence  the 
Deacons  as  Jesus  Christ ;  and  the  Bishop  as  the 
Father;  and  the  Presbyters  as  the  Sanhedrim  of 
God,  and  the  college  of  the  Apostles."  This  may 
argue  carelessness  or  haste  in  writing ;  or  it  may 


THE    FATHERS.  Q  J^ 

argue  a  mind  in  the  writer,  less  intent  on  eccle- 
siastical precedence,  than  on  more  important  mat- 
ters ;  but  it  surely  cannot  be  considered  as  deciding 
the  relative  standing  of  the  different  officers  of 
whom  he  speaks. 

Besides,  let  it  be  recollected,  that  the  dale  of 
these  Gesta  was  about  the  year  of  Christ,  303, 
when  the  office  of  Ruling  Elder,  if  we  may  credit 
the  very  explicit  testimony  of  Ambrose,  which  will 
be  staled  presently,  was  going  gradually  out  of  use. 
If  so,  nothing  was  more  natural  than  that  the  wri- 
ters and  speakers  of  that  day  should  be  disposed 
to  throw  it  on  the  back  ground,  and  rather  degrade 
than  advance  its  appropriate  rank  in  the  scale  of 
ecclesiastical  honour. 

There  is  also  a  passage  in  Optatus,  of  the  Afri- 
can Church,  who  flourished  a  little  after  the  mid- 
dle of  the  fourth  century,  which  corroborates  the 
foregoing  quotations.  It  is  as  follows :  "  The 
Church  had  many  ornaments  of  gold  and  silver, 
which  she  could  neither  bury  in  the  earth,  nor 
carry  away  with  her,  which  she  committed  to  the 
Elders,  (Senioribus,)  as  to  faithful  persons."* 
There  can  scarcely  be  a  doubt  that  these  were  not 
merely  aged  persons,  but  official  men ;  and,  espe- 
cially, as  we  know,  from  the  writings  of  Cyprian, 
who  resided  in  the  same  country,  that  there  were 
such  officers  in  the  African  Church,  a  few  years 
before. 

Ambrose,  who  lived  in  the  fourth  century,!  in 

*  Optat.  Lib.  i.  p.  41.  edit.  Paris,  1631. 

t  It  is  not  forgotten  that  learned  men  have  generally 
considered  the  real  name  of  this  writer  as  Hilary.  Yet  as 
the  name  of  Ambrose  is  more  frequently  given  to  him, 
especially  by  many  writers  hereafter  to  be  quoted,  the 
latter  name  will  be  more  intelligible,  and,  therefore,  more 
convenient. 


92  TESTIMONY    OF 

his  commentary  on  1  Timothy  v.  1,  has  the  fol- 
lowing passage  :  "  For,  indeed,  among  all  nations 
old  age  is  honourable.  Hence  it  is  that  the  Syna- 
gogue, and  afterwards  the  Church,  had  Elders, 
without  whose  counsel  nothing  was  done  in  the 
Church;  which  by  what  negligence  it  grew  into 
disuse  I  know  not,  unless,  perhaps,  by  the  sloth, 
or  rather  by  the  pride  of  the  Teachers,  while  they 
alone  wished  to  appear  something."  The  great 
body  of  the  Prelatists,  as  well  as  some  others,  have 
laboured  hard  to  divest  this  passage  of  its  plain  and 
pointed  testimony  in  favour  of  the  office  of  Ruling 
Elder.  They  insist  upon  it  that  the  pious  Father 
had  no  reference  whatever  to  ecclesiastical  officers, 
but  only  to  aged  persons,  and  that  he  meant  to  say 
nothing  more  than  that,  formerly,  in  the  Syna- 
gogue, and  afterwards  in  the  Church,  there  were 
old  men,  whom  it  was  customary  to  consult; 
which  practice,  however,  at  the  time  in  which  he 
wrote,  was  generally  laid  aside.  This  perversion 
of  an  obvious  meaning,  is  really  so  strange  and 
extravagant,  that  the  formality  of  a  serious  refuta- 
tion seems  scarcely  necessary.  Can  any  reflecting 
man  believe  that  Hilary  designed  only  to  inform 
his  readers  that  in  the  Jewish  Synagogues,  there 
were  actually  persons  who  had  attained  a  consi- 
derable age  ;  that  this  was  also,  afterwards  the  case 
in  the  Christian  Church;  and  that  these  aged  per- 
sons were  generally  consulted  ?  This  would  have 
been  a  sage  remark  indeed!  Was  there  ever  a 
community  of  any  extent,  either  ecclesiastical  or 
civil,  which  did  not  include  some  aged  persons? 
Or  was  there  ever  a  state  of  society,  or  an  age  of 
the  world,  in  which  the  practice  of  consulting  the 
aged  and  experienced  had  fallen  into  disuse?  That 
thinking,  candid  minds,  should  be  able  to  satisfy 


THE^^ATHERS.  93 

themselves  with  such  a  gloss,  is  truly  wonderful. 
It  is  certainly  no  argument  in  favour  of  this  con- 
struction of  the  language  of  Ambrose,  that  he  pre- 
faces his  statement  respecting  the  Synagogue  and 
the  Church,  by  remarking,  that  "among  all  na- 
tions old  age  is  honourable."  Surely  no  remark 
could  be  more  natural  or  appropriate,  when  he  was 
about  to  state,  that  from  the  earliest  period  of  the 
Christian  Church,  and  long  before  in  the  Syna- 
gogue, all  their  affairs  had  been  managed  by  colle- 
ges of  Elders,  (a  title  importing  a  kind  of  homage 
to  age  and  experience,)  without  whose  counsel 
nothing  was  done. 

But  there  is  a  clause  in  this  extract  from  Am- 
brose, which  precludes  all  doubt  that  he  intended 
to  allude  to  a  class  of  Church  officers,  and  not 
merely  to  old  age.  It  is  this  :  "  Which  by  what 
negligence  it  grew  into  disuse,  I  know  not,  unless, 
perhaps,  by  the  sloth,  or  rather  by  the  pride  of 
the  Teachers,  who  wished  alone  to  appear  some- 
thing." It  is  very  conceivable  and  obvious  that 
both  the  pride  and  the  sloth  of  the  Teachers, 
or  Teaching  Elders,  should  render  them  willing 
to  get  rid  of  a  bench  of  officers  of  equal  power 
with  themselves,  as  rulers  in  the  Church,  and, 
consequently,  able  to  control  their  wishes  in  cases 
of  discipline.  But  it  cannot  easily  be  conceived 
why  either  sloth  or  pride  should  render  any  so 
particularly  averse  to  all  consultation  with  the  aged 
and  experienced,  in  preference  to  the  young,  on 
the  affairs  of  the  Church  ;  especially  if  these  aged 
persons  bore  no  office,  and  there  was,  of  course, 
no  official  obligation  to  be  governed  by  their  advice, 
as  the  gloss  under  consideration  supposes.  It 
being  evident,  then,  that  a  class  of-  officers  was 
here  intended,  the  question  arises,  what  class  of 


94  TESTIMONY   OF 

Presbyters,  or  Elders,  was  that  whicli  had  grown 
into  disuse  in  the  fourth  century?  Not  teaching 
Presbyters,  surely;  for  every  one  knows  that  that 
class  of  Presbyters  had  not  become  obsolete  in 
Ambrose's  time.  His  own  writings  amply  attest 
the  reverse.  And  every  one  also  knows  that  this 
class  of  Church  officers  has  never  been  laid  aside, 
or  even  diminished  in  number,  to  the  present  day. 

It  is  worthy  of  very  particular  notice  here,  also, 
as  no  small  confirmation  of  the  construction  which 
we  put  upon  the  words  of  Ambrose,  that  all  the 
most  learned  and  able  of  the  Reformers,  and  a  great 
number  of  others,  the  most  competent  judges  in 
such  matters,  from  the  Reformation  to  the  present 
time,  have  concurred  in  adopting  the  same  con- 
struction, and  have  considered  the  worthy  Father 
as  referring  to  a  class  of  Elders  who  held  the 
place  of  inspectors  and  rulers  in  the  Church. 
Learned  Lutherans,  and  Episcopalians,  as  well  as 
Calvinists,  almost  without  number,  have  united  in 
the  interpretation  of  this  Father,  which  we  have 
given,  with  a  degree  of  harmony  truly  wonderful, 
if  that  interpretation  be  entirely  erroneous.  Is  it 
less  likely  that  Luther,  and  Melancthon,  and  Bucer, 
and  Whitgift,  and  Zanchius,  and  Peter  Martyr, 
who  had  no  sectarian  or  private  views  to  serve, 
should  be  able  correctly  to  read  and  understand 
Ambrose,  than  that  modern  and  more  superficial 
scholars  should  be  betrayed  into  a  mistaken  con- 
struction, on  the  side  in  favour  of  which  their  feel- 
ings were  strongly  enlisted?  No  disrespect  what- 
ever is  intended  to  the  latter ;  but  it  cannot  be 
doubted  that  a  great  preponderancy  of  testimony, 
both  as  to  numbers  and  competency,  is  on  the  side 
of  the  former. 

Augustine,  Bishop  of  Hippo,  who  also  lived  to- 


THE   FATHERS.  95 

ward  the  close  of  the  fourth  century,  often  refers 
to  this  class  of  officers  in  his  writings.  Thus,  in 
his  work,  Contra  Cresconhmi  Grammaticicni, 
Lib.  iii.  Cap.  56,  he  speaks  of"  Peregriniis,  Pres- 
byter, et  Senior es  Eccksiae  Musticanse  regionisf 
i.  e.  Peregrine,  the  Presbyter,  and  the  Elders  of 
the  Church,  of  the  Mustacan  district."  And  again, 
he  addresses  one  of  his  Epistles  intended  for  his 
Church  at  Hippo,  in  the  following  manner :  "i)i- 
lectissimis  Fratribus,  Clero,  Senioribus  et  univer- 
sse  Plebi  Ecdesise  Hipponensis  ;"  Epist.  137 ;  i.  e. 
*'To  the  beloved  brethren,  the  Clergy,  the  Elders, 
and  all  the  people  of  the  Church  at  Hippo." 
There  were  some  Elders,  then,  in  the  time  of 
Augustine,  whom  he  distinguishes  from  other 
Presbyters,  and  whom  he  also  distinguishes  from 
the  Clergy.  And,  lest  any  should  suppose  that  the 
Elders  here  spoken  of  were  not  officers,  but  mere 
private  members  of  the  Church,  he  distinguishes 
them  from  the  plebs  universa  of  the  Church. 
Augustine,  also,  in  another  place,  (/)e  Verb.  Dom. 
Serin.  19,)  speaks  thus:  '♦  Cum  ob  errorem  ali- 
quem  a  Senioribus  arguuntur,  et  imputatur  alicui 
de  illis,  cur  ebrius  fuerit  ?  cur  res  alienas  perva- 
serit?^'  &c.,  i.  e.  "When  they  are  reprehended 
for  any  error  by  the  Elders,  and  are  upbraided  with 
having  been  drunk,  or  with  having  been  guilty  of 
theft,  &c."  Can  any  one  doubt  that  Augustine  is 
here  speaking,  not  of  mere  aged  persons,  but  of 
Church  officers,  whose  duty  it  was  to  inspect  the 
morals  of  the  members  of  the  Church,  and  to  "  up- 
braid," or  reprove  those  who  had  been  reprehensi- 
ble in  their  deportment  ?  It  would  be  easy  to  pro- 
duce, from  the  same  Father,  a  number  of  other 
quotations  equally  to  our  purpose.  But  Bingham, 
in  his  Origines  Ecclesiastic x^  Bishop  Taylor,  in 


95  TESTIMONY   OF 

his  Episcopacy  Asserted,  and  other  learned  Pre- 
latists,  have  rendered  this  unnecessary,  by  making 
an  explicit  acknowledgment,  that  Augustine  re- 
peatedly mentions  these  Seniors  or  Elders,  as  be- 
longing to  other  Churches  as  well  as  his  own,  in 
his  time;  and  that  the  same  kind  of  Elders  are 
frequently  referred  to  by  other  writers,  both  be- 
fore and  after  Augustine,  as  then  existing  in  the 
Church;  as  holding  in  it  some  kind  of  official  sta- 
tion ;  and  yet  as  distinguished  from  clergymen.  It 
is  true,  indeed,  that  Bingham  insists  upon  it  that 
these  were  not  Ruling  Elders,  in  our  sense  of  the 
word  ;  but  that  they  held  some  kind  of  office  in  the 
Church,  and  yet  were  not  public  preachers,  he  ex- 
plicitly grants.  We  ask  nothing  more.  This  is 
quite  sufficient  for  our  purpose. 

The  ancient  work,  entitled  Apostolical  Consti- 
tutions, although  by  no  means  of  Apostolical  ori- 
gin, was  propably  composed  sometime  between  the 
second  and  fifth  centuries.  The  following  signi- 
ficant and  pointed  rule,  extracted  from  that  work, 
will  be  considered  by  the  intelligent  reader  as  by 
no  means  equivocal  in  its  aspect:  "  To  Presbyters 
also,  when  they  labour  assiduously  in  the  word 
and  doctrine,  let  a  double  portion  be  assigned."* 
Here  is,  obviously,  a  distinction  between  Presby- 
ters who  are  employed  in  teaching,  and  those  who 
are  not  so  employed.  To  what  duties  the  others 
devoted  themselves  is  not  stated  ;  but  it  is  evident 
that  teaching  made  no  part  of  their  ordinary  occu- 
pation. We  may  take  for  granted  that  their  duty 
was  to  assist  in  the  other  spiritual  concerns  of  the 
Church,  viz. :  in  maintaining  good  order  and  disci- 
pline.    This  is   precisely   the  distinction   which 

*  Apostol  Constit.  Lib.  ii.  Cap.  28. 


THE    FATHERS.  QT" 

Presbyterians  make,  and  which  ihey  believe  to 
have  been  made  in  the  primitive  Church.  Accord- 
ingly the  Presbyters,  in  the  same  relic  of  Christian 
antiquity,  and  in  a  subsequent  part  of  the  same 
chapter,  are  called  "  the  Counsellors  of  the  Bishop, 
or  Pastor;  and  the  Sanhedrim,  or  Senate  of  the 
Church :"  expressions  which  entirely  harmonize 
with  our  views  of  the  olRce  of  Elder  in  the  ancient 
Church. 

To  the  same  class  of  officers,  Isodore  of  Hispala, 
who  flourished  in  the  sixth  century,  seems  to  al- 
lude, when,  in  giving  directions  as  to  the  manner 
in  which  pastors  should  conduct  their  official  in- 
structions, he  says  :  Prius  docendi  sunt  Seniores 
plebis,  ut  per  eos  infra  positi  fadlius  doceantur  ;^^ 
i.  e.  "The  Elders  of  the  people  are  first  to  be\ 
taught,  that  by  them  such  as  are  placed  under  them, 
may  be  more  easily  instructed."  Here  again,  these 
Seniores  are  evidently  spoken  of  as  Church  officers, 
who  were  set  over  the  people,  and  yet  occupied  a 
station  inferior  to  that  of  the  pastors,  or  public 
preachers. 

Nor  does  this  class  of  officers  appear  to  have 
entirely  ceased  in  the  Church  at  as  late  a  period  as 
that  of  Gregory  the  great,  who  wrote  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  sixth  century.  In  one  of  his  Epistles 
he  gives  the  following  direction :  *'  If  any  thing 
should  come  to  your  ears  concerning  any  clergy- 
man, which  may  be  justly  considered  as  matter  of 
offence,  do  not  easily  believe  it;  but  let  truth  be 
diligently  investigated  by  the  Elders  of  the  Church, 
who  may  be  at  hand,  and  then,  if  the  character  of 
the  act  demand  it,  let  the  proper  punishment  fall 
on  the  ofTender."* 

*  Epistolae,  Lib.  ii.  Epist.  19 — quoted  from  the  Politica 
Ecclesiastica  of  Voetius,  Par.  ii.  Lib.  ii.  Tract,  iii. 


98  TESTIMONY   OF 

Here  there  is  evidenlly  a  very  distinct  reference 
to  such  a  class  of  officers  as  that  of  which  we  are 
speaking.  They  are  distinguished  from  clergy- 
men ;  and  yet  they  are  represented  as  ecclesiasti- 
cal officers,  to  whom  it  properly  pertained  to  in- 
vestigate ecclesiastical  offences  ;  and  to  give  advice 
and  direction  in  peculiarly  delicate  cases  of  disci- 
pline. At  an  enrlier  period  of  the  Church,  indeed, 
these  Elders,  as  well  as  all  other  classes  of  eccle- 
siastical men,  were  styled  clergymen;  as  we  shall 
have  occasion  more  fully  to  show  hereafter:  but 
from  the  fourth  century  and  onward,  Elders  of  this 
class  declined  in  numbers  and  in  popularity,  and 
not  long  afterwards  were  in  a  great  measure  laid 
aside,  excepting  by  the  humble  and  devoted  Wit- 
nesses of  the  Truth,  of  whose  testimony  we  shall 
speak  in  the  next  chapter. 

There  is  another  species  of  evidence  here  worthy 
of  notice.  The  representation  which  the  fathers 
give  of  the  manner  in  which  the  Bishop  or  Pastor 
and  his  Elders  were  commonly  seated,  when  the 
Church  was  assembled,  and  during  the  solemnities 
of  public  worship,  afford  very  strong  evidence  that 
the  mass  of  the  Elders  were  such  as  it  is  the  ob- 
ject of  this  Essay  to  establish.  We  are  told  by 
several  of  the  early  Fathers,  that  when  the  Church 
was  convened  for  public  worship,  the  Bishop,  or 
Pastor,  was  commonly  seated  on  the  middle  of  a 
raised  bench,  or  long  semi-circular  seal,  at  one  end 
of  the  Church  ;  that  his  Elders  were  seated  on  each 
side  of  him,  on  the  same  seat,  or  on  seats  imme- 
diately adjoining,  and  commonly  a  litile  lower; 
and  that  the  Deacons  commonly  stood  in  front  of 
this  bench,  ready  to  give  any  notice,  to  execute  any 
order,  or  to  perform  any  service  which  the  Pastor 
or  Elders  might  think  proper  to  direct.  This  prac- 


THE    FATHERS.  99 

tice  was  evidently  drawn  from  the  Jewish  Syna- 
gogue. And,  indeed,  the  order  of  assembling,  sit- 
ting, and  worship  in  the  Christian  assemblies,  for 
the  first  two  or  three  centuries,  so  strikingly  re- 
sembled that  of  the  Synagogue,  that  Christian 
Churches  were  frequently  contemned,  and  opposed 
as  "  Synagogues  in  disguise."* 

This  general  fact  is  so  well  attested  by  the  early 
Christian  writers,  that  it  is  unnecessary  to  detain 
the  reader  by  any  formal  proof  of  it.  Now,  if  in 
every  Church,  when  assembled  in  ordinary  cir- 
cumstances, there  were  present  a  Pastor,  Overseer, 
or  Bishop,  and  a  body  of  Elders,  sitting  with  him, 
and  counselling  and  aiding  him  in  the  inspection 
and  discipline  of  the  Church  ;  it  is  hardly  necessary 
to  say,  that  these  Elders  could  not  all  have  been 
such  Presbyters  as  the  friends  of  Prelacy  contend 
for,  as  their  "  second  order  of  clergy."  The  sup- 
position is  absurd.  They  could  only  have  been 
such  a  bench  of  pious  and  venerable  men,  as  were 
chiefly  employed  in  overseeing  and  ruling;  and 
corresponding,  substantially,  with  the  Elders  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  It  is  true,  indeed,  the  ad- 
vocates of  Prelacy  endeavour  to  persuade  us  that 
these  Presbyters  were  the  stated  preachers  in  the 
several  congregations  or  worshipping  assemblies 
which  were,  as  they  suppose,  comprehended  in 
the  Bishop's  charge.  But  this  supposition  is  wholly 
unsupported.  Nay,  it  is  directly  contrary  to  the 
whole  current  of  early  testimony  on  this  subject. 
The  very  same  writers  who  inform  us  that  there 
were  any  Presbyters  at  all  in  the  Christian  Church 
within  the  first  three  hundred  years,  represent  a 
plurality  of  them  as  sitting  with  the  Bishop  or 

*  Thorndike's  Discourse  on  Religious  Assemblies,  p.  57. 


100  TESTIMONY  OP 

Pastor,  and  present  in  every  worshipping  assembly. 
There  is  no  system  with  which  this  statement  can 
be  made  essentially  to  agree,  but  that  which  is  re- 
ceived among  Presbyterians. 

Another  strong  argument  in  support  of  the  doc- 
trine of  Ruling  Elders,  as  drawn  from  the  early 
Fathers,  is  found  in  the  abundant  evidence  which 
their  writings  furnish,  tliat,  during  the  first  three 
or  four  centuries  after  Christ,  the  great  body  of  the 
Christian  Presbyters  did  not  ordinarily  preach,  in- 
deed, never  but  by  the  special  permission  of  the 
Bishop  or  Pastor.  The  following  statement  by  the 
learned  Bingham,  in  his  Origines  Ecclesiasticae, 
Book  ii.  chapter  iii.  section  4,  will  be  found  con- 
clusive on  this  point: 

*'  The  like  observation  may  be  made  upon  the 
office  of  preaching.  This  was  in  the  first  place 
the  Bishop's  office,  which  they  commonly  dis- 
charged themselves,  especially  in  the  African 
Churches.  Which  is  the  reason  we  so  frequently 
meet  with  the  phrase,  Tradante  Episcopo,  the 
Bishop  preaching,  in  the  writings  of  Cyprian.  For 
then  it  was  so  much  the  office  and  custom  of 
Bishops  to  preach,  that  no  Presbyter  was  permitted 
to  preach  in  their  presence,  till  the  time  of  St. 
Austin,  who,  whilst  he  was  a  Presbyter  was  author- 
ized by  Valerius,  his  Bishop,  to  preach  before 
him.  But  that,  as  Possidius,  the  writer  of  his  life 
observes,  was  so  contrary  to  the  use  and  custom 
of  the  African  Churches,  that  many  Bishops  w€re 
highly  offended  at  it,  and  spoke  against  it;  till  the 
consequences  proved  that  such  a  permission  was 
of  good  use  and  service  to  the  Church ;  and  then 
several  other  Bishops  granted  their  Presbyters 
power  and  privilege  to  preach  before  them.  So 
that  it  was  then  a  favour  for  the  Presbyters  to 


THE   FATHERS.  \0\ 

preach  in  the  presence  of  the  Bishops,  and  wholly 
at  the  Bishop's  discretion,  whether  they  would  per- 
mit them  or  not;  and  when  they  did  preach,  it  was 
wholly  potestate  accepfa^  by  the  power  and  author- 
ity of  the  Bishops  that  appointed  them.  In  the 
Eastern  Churches  Presbyters  were  more  commonly 
employed  to  preach,  as  Possidius  observes,  when 
he  says  Valerius  brought  the  custom  into  Africa 
from  their  example.  And  St.  Jerome  intimates  as 
much,  when  he  complains  of  it  as  an  ill  custom 
only  in  some  Churches  to  forbid  Presbyters  to 
preach.  Chrysostom  preached  several  of  his  ela- 
borate discourses  at  Antioch,  while  he  was  but  a 
Presbyter;  and  so  did  Atticus  at  Constantinople : 
and  the  same  is  observed  to  have  been  granted  to 
the  Presbyters  of  Alexandria  and  Caesarea,  in  Cap- 
padocia,  and  Cyprus,  and  other  places.  But  still  it 
was  but  a  grant  of  the  Bishops  ;  and  Presbyters  did 
it  by  their  authority  and  commission.  And  when- 
ever Bishops  saw  just  reason  to  forbid  them,  they 
had  power  to  limit  or  withdraw  their  commission 
again:  as  both  Socrates  and  Sozomen  testify,  who 
say  that  at  Alexandria  Presbyters  were  forbidden  to 
preach  from  the  time  that  Arius  raised  a  disturbance 
in  the  Church.  Thus  we  see  what  a  power 
Bishops  anciently  challenged  and  exercised  over 
Presbyters  in  the  common  and  ordinary  offices  of 
the  Church :  particularly  for  preaching.  Bishops 
always  esteemed  it  their  office  as  much  as  any 
other."  This  statement  is  amply  illustrated  and 
confirmed  by  the  learned  author  by  numerous  re- 
ferences to  early  writers  of  the  highest  reputation, 
which  it  is  altogether  unnecessary  to  recite,  on  ac- 
count of  the  notoriety  of  the  fact  alleged. 

Can  such  a  statement  be  contemplated  a  moment 
without  perceiving,  that  the  mass  of  the  Presbyters 
9 


102  TESTIMONY   OF 

or  Elders,  during  the  times  here  spoken  of,  were 
a  very  different  class  of  officers  from  those  com- 
monly styled  "  Presbyters,"  in  the  Papacy  after- 
wards, and  in  more  modern  Prelatical  Churches? 
The  very  circumstance  of  preaching  making  no 
part  of  their  ordinary  function ;  nay,  that,  in  ordi- 
nary cases,  they  were  never  allowed  to  do  it,  but 
in  virtue  of  a  special  permission,  which  is  evi- 
dently the  import  of  the  whole  account,  unless  we 
make  nonsense  of  it ;  places  it  beyond  all  doubt 
that  the  authority  which  they  received  at  ordina- 
tion, did  not  really  commission  them  to  preach  at 
all ;  but  that  the  Bishop  only  was  the  commis- 
sioned preacher.  This  is  exactly  what  Presbyte- 
rians say.  And  if  ever  Ruling  Elders  or  Deacons 
among  us,  conduct  social  worship,  and  address  the 
people  in  public,  it  is  always  under  the  direction 
of  the  Bishop  or  Pastor ;  who  may  encourage  or 
arrest  it  as  he  pleases.  It  is  vain  to  say,  that 
Presbyters  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  at 
the  present  day  cannot  preach,  or  perform  any 
ecclesiastical  act  without  the  Bishop's  permission. 
This  is  an  idle  evasion.  The  fact  is  that  every 
one  knows,  that  their  original  ordination,  as  Pres- 
byters, or  "  Priests,"  as  they  are  called,  conveys 
the  full  power  to  preach,  administer  sacraments, 
and  perform  every  duty  of  the  ordinary  parochial 
ministration,  statedly,  and  without  any  further  let 
or  impediment.  The  cases  then,  are  wholly  un- 
like. There  were,  evidently,  in  the  days  of  Igna- 
tius and  Cyprian,  of  Chrysostom  and  Augustine, 
of  Socrates  and  Sozomen,  some  Elders  who  did 
not  ordinarily  preach,  and  were  not  considered  as 
authorized  to  engage  in  this  part  of  the  public  ser- 
vice, without  a  special  permission ;  and  who  stood, 
not  exactly,  indeed,  but  very  much  on  the  same 


THE   FATHERS.  103 

ground,  as  to  this  matter,  with  the  Elders  of  our 
denomination. 

The  truth  is,  some  of  the  very  same  writers  who 
inform  us  that  Elders  and  deacons  were  not  ordi- 
narily allowed  to  preach  during  the  first  three  or 
four  centuries  ;  also  inform  us,  that  laymen,  in 
cases  of  necessity,  might  preach  by  the  Bishop's 
permission.  This  at  once  illustrates  and  strength- 
ens the  Presbyterian  argument.  For  the  same  au- 
thority which  might  give  a  special  permission  in 
each  case,  or  a  general  permission,  for  a  time,  to 
an  Elder  or  Deacon  to  preach  ;  which  permission, 
it  seems,  might  be  revoked  at  pleasure,  without 
touching  the  official  standing  of  the  individual, 
much  less  deposing  him  from  office ;  might  also 
authorize  the  merest  layman  in  the  whole  parish 
to  perform  the  same  service,  whenever  it  was 
judged  expedient  to  give  the  license. 

The  truth  of  the  matter  seems  to  have  been  this. 
A  large  majority  of  the  officers  called  Elders,  in 
the  three  first  centuries,  were,  no  doubt.  Ruling 
Elders,  ordained,  it  is  probable,  in  the  same  man- 
ner with  the  Teaching  Elders,  i.  e.  with  "  the 
laying  on  of  hands,"  and  the  same  external  solem- 
nity in  every  respect.  They  were  not  qualified, 
and  were  not  expected,  when  ordained,  to  be 
preachers  ;  but  were  selected,  on  account  of  their 
piety,  gravity,  prudence,  and  experience,  to  assist 
in  inspection  and  government.  When,  however, 
the  Bishop  or  Pastor,  who  was  the  stated  preacher, 
was  sick,  or  absent,  he  might  direct  a  Ruling  El- 
der to  take  his  place,  on  a  single  occasion,  or  for 
a  few  Sabbaths.  But  this  function  made  no  part 
of  their  stated  work ;  and  they  seldom  engaged  in 
it.  After  a  while,  however,  these  Elders,  like  the 
Bishops  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  Deacons  on  the 


104  TESTIMONY   OF 

Other,  began  to  aspire;  were  more  and  more  fre- 
quently permitted  to  preach  ;  until,  at  length,  non- 
preaching  Elders  were  chiefly  banished  from  the 
Church.  As  this  was  a  gradual  thing,  they  were, 
of  course,  retained  in  some  Churches  longer  than 
others.  They  were,  probably,  first  laid  aside  in 
large  cities,  where  ambition  was  most  prevalent, 
laxity  of  morals  most  indulged,  and  strict  discipline 
most  unpopular.  In  this  way  things  proceeded, 
until  this  class  of  ofiicers  was  almost  wholly  lost 
sight  of  in  the  Christian  community. 

One  more  testimony,  by  no  means  unimportant, 
of  the  existence  of  this  office  in  the  primitive 
Church,  is  to  be  found  in  the  Rev.  Dr.  Buchan- 
an's account  of  the  Syrian  Christians,  contained  in 
his  Asiatic  Researches.  It  will  be  borne  in  mind 
that  the  learned  and  pious  author  considers  those 
Christians  as  having  settled  in  the  East,  within  the 
first  three  centuries  after  Christ,  before  the  corrup- 
tions of  the  Church  of  Rome  had  been  introduced, 
and  when  the  original  simplicity  of  Gospel  order 
had  been  but  in  a  small  degree  invaded.  Sepa- 
rating from  the  Western  Church  at  that  early  pe- 
riod, and  remaining,  for  many  centuries,  almost 
wholly  secluded  from  the  rest  of  the  world,  they 
were  found  in  a  great  measure  free  from  the  inno- 
vations and  superstitions  of  the  Papacy.  Now,  if 
Ruling  Elders  had  any  existence  in  the  Christian 
Church  within  the  first  three  hundred  years,  as 
Ambrose  expressly  declares  they  had,  we  might 
expect  to  find  the  Syrian  Christians,  in  their  seclu- 
sion, retaining  some  traces  at  least  of  this  office  in 
their  Churches.  Accordingly,  Dr.  Buchanan,  in 
describing  the  circumstances  of  a  visit  which  he 
paid  one  of  the  Churches  of  this  simple  and  highly 
interesting  people,  speaks  as  follows:  "  When  we 


THE  FATHERS.  X05 

arrived,  I  was  received  at  the  door  of  the  Church 
by  three  Kasheeshas,  that  is  Presbyters,  or  Priests, 
who  were  habited  in  like  manner,  in  white  vest- 
ments. Their  names  were  Jesu,  Zacharias,  and 
Urias,  which  they  wrote  down  in  my  journal,  each 
of  them  adding  to  his  name  the  title  Kasheesha. 
There  were  also  present  two  SImmshanas,  or  Dea- 
cons. The  Elder  Priest  was  a  very  intelligent 
man,  of  reverend  appearance,  having  a  long  white 
beard,  and  of  an  affable  and  engaging  deportment. 
The  three  principal  Christians,  or  Lay-Elders,  be- 
longing to  the  Church,  were  named  Abraham, 
Thomas,  and  Alexandros."* 

This  remarkable  fact,  it  is  believed,  belongs 
most  properly  to  the  present  chapter.  For  if  these 
simple  Syrian  Christians  were  really  settled  in  the 
East,  as  early  as  Dr.  Buchanan  seems,  with  good 
reason,  to  suppose,  and  were,  for  many  centuries 
entirely  secluded  from  all  foreign  influence ;  we 
may  consider  them  as  having  in  operation  among 
them,  substantially,  that  ecclesiastical  system 
which  existed  through  the  greater  part  of  the 
Christian  Church,  at  the  close  of  the  third,  and  the 
beginning  of  the  fourth  century.  A  kind  of  testi- 
mony which,  of  course,  falls  in  with  our  purpose 
in  examining  the  testimony  of  the  early  ages  of  the 
Church. 

Such  then,  is  the  amount  of  the  testimony  from 
the  Christian  Fathers.  They  tell  us,  with  a  una- 
nimity and  frequency  truly  remarkable,  that,  in 
every  Church,  there  was  a  bench  or  college  of  El- 
ders :  That  they  sat  with  the  Bishop  or  Pastor,  as 
an  ecclesiastical  judicatory,  and  with  him  ruled 

*  Christian  Researches  in  Asia,  p.  75.  New  York 
Edit.  12mo.  1812. 


106  TE.STIMOX\    OF    THE    FATHER*. 

the  Church :  That  this  bench  or  body  of  rulers 
was  called  by  various  names  in  different  parts  of 
the  world  ;  such  as,  Eccleniffi  Consessus^  the  Ses- 
sion or  Consistory  of  the  Church;  t'^  Tr^i-rCurt^ay 
Turoier^y,  the  court  or  Sanhedrim  of  the  Elders;  £c- 
desioe  Senatus,  the  Senate  of  the  Church;  Biw/jf 
acKKrcriAr  the  Council  of  the  Church,  &;c.  &;c.:  That 
they  were  always  y)resent  with  the  Bishop  or  Pas- 
tor when  he  presided  in  public  worship:  That  he 
did  nothing  of  importance  without  consulting  them 
That  they  seldom  or  never  preached,  unless  in 
cases  of  necessity,  or  when  specially  requested  to 
do  so  by  the  Pastor:  That  they  were  more  fre- 
quently than  otherwise  called  clergymen,  like  the 
Elders  who  ♦'  laboured  in  the  word  and  doctrine,'* 
but  sometimes  distinguished  from  the  clergy:  That, 
however,  whether  called  clergymen  or  not,  they 
were  "  ecclesiastical  men,"  that  is,  set  apart  for 
ecclesiastical  purposes,  devoted  to  the  spiritual  rule 
and  edification  of  the  Church:  That  all  questions 
of  discipline,  such  as  admitting  members  into  the 
Church,  inspecting  their  Christian  deportment,  and 
censuring,  suspending,  and  excommunicating,  were 
decided  by  these  Elders:  and,  finally,  from  all  it 
is  apparent,  that  as  discipline  became  unpopular, 
and  ecclesiastics  more  aspiring,  the  ruling  part  of 
the  Elder's  ofiice  was  gradually  laid  aside,  and  the 
teaching  part  alone  retained. 


107 


CHAPTER  V. 

TESTIMONY  OF  THE  WITNESSES  FOR  THE   TRUTH,  DURING 
THE  DARK  AGES. 

It  has  been  the  habit  of  zealous  and  high-toned 
Prelatists,  for  more  than  two  centuries  past,  as  well 
as  of  some  Independents,  to  assert,  that  Ruling 
Elders  were  unknown  in  the  Christian  Church 
until  about  the  year  1541  ;  that  then  Calvin  in- 
vented the  order,  and  introduced  it  into  the  Church 
of  Geneva.  And  some  worthy  men,  of  other  de- 
nominations, have  allowed  themselves,  with  more 
haste  than  good  advisement,  to  adopt  and  repeat 
the  assertion.  It  is  an  assertion  which,  undoubt- 
edly, cannot  be  made  good ;  as  the  following  tes- 
timonies will  probably  satisfy  every  impartial 
reader. 

At  how  early  a  period  the  Old  Waldenses  took 
their  rise  is  uncertain.  In  some  of  their  Confes- 
sions of  Faith,  and  other  ecclesiastical  documents, 
dated  at  the  commencement,  or  soon  after  the  com- 
mencement, of  the  Reformation  by  Luther,  they 
speak  of  their  Doctrine  and  Order  as  having  been 
handed  down  from  father  to  son  for  more  than 
five  hundred  years.  But  Reinerius,  who  himself 
lived  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  before 
Luther,  who  had  once  resided  among  the  Wal- 
denses, but  afterwards  became  one  of  their  bitterest 
persecutors,  seems  to  ascribe  to  tiiat  people  a  much 
earlier  origin.  "  They  are  more  pernicious,"'  says 
he,  *'  to  the  Church  of  Rome  than  any  other  set  of 
heretics,  for  three  reasons: — 1.  Because  they  are 
older  than  any  other  sect ;  for  some  say  that  they 


X08  TESTIMONY  OF 

have  been  ever  since  the  time  of  Pope  Sylvester, 
(who  was  raised  to  the  Papal  chair  in  314  ;)  and 
others  say,  from  the  time  of  the  Apostles.*  2.  Be- 
cause they  are  more  extensively  spread  than  any 
other  sect;  there  being  scarcely  a  country  into 
which  they  have  not  crept.  3.  Because  other 
sects  are  abominable  to  God  for  their  blasphemies; 
but  the  Waldenses  are  more  pious  than  any  other 
heretics  ;  they  believe  truly  of  God,  live  justly  be- 
fore men,  and  receive  all  the  articles  of  the  creed ; 
only  they  hate  the  Church  of  Rome." 

Now,  John  Paul  Perrin,  the  well  known  his- 
torian of  the  Waldenses,  and  who  was  himself  one 
of  the  ministers  of  that  people,  in  a  number  of 
places  recognises  the  office  of  Elder,  distinguished 
from  that  of  Pastor,  or  Teacher,  as  retained  in 
their  Churches.  He  expressly  and  repeatedly  re- 
presents their  Synods  as  composed  of  Ministers 
and  Elders.  The  same  writer  tells  us  that,  in  the 
year  1476,  the  Hussites,  being  engaged  in  sepa- 
rating and  reforming  their  Churches  from  the 
Church  of  Rome,  understood  that  there  were  some 
Churches  of  the  ancient  Waldenses  in  Austria,  in 
which  the  purity  of  the  gospel  was  retained,  and 
in  which  there  were  many  eminent  Pastors.  In 
order  to  ascertain  the  in.th  of  this  account,  they 
(the  Hussites)  sent  two  of  iheir  ministers,  and  two 
Elders,  to  inquire  and  ascertain  what  those  flocks 
or  congregations  were.t 

The  same  historian,  in  the  same  work,  speaks 

*  Reinerius  flourished  about  A.  D.  1250,  more  than  250 
years  before  the  Reformation  ;  and,  at  that  time,  he  sp>eaks 
of  the  Waldenses  as  an  ancient  people,  of  too  remote  an 
origin  to  be  traced  with  dist  nctness  and  certainty. 

t  History  of  the  Old  V\  aldenscs.  Part.  ii.  Book  1,  Chap. 
10.  Book  2,  Chap.  4.  Book  5,  Chap.  7. 


THE   WITNESSES,    &C.  109 

of  the  Ministers,  and  Elders  of  the  Bohemian 
Churches.*  Now  the  Bohemian  Brethren,  it  is 
well  known,  were  a  branch  of  the  same  people 
called  Waldenses.t  They  had  removed  from  Pi- 
cardy,  in  the  north  of  France,  about  two  hundred 
years  before  the  time  of  Huss  and  Jerome,  to  Bo- 
hemia, and  there,  in  conjunction  with  many  na- 
tives of  the  country,  whom  they  brought  over 
to  their  opinions,  established  a  number  of  pure 
Churches,  which  long  maintained  the  simplicity 
of  the  gospel.  The  undoubted  existence  of  Ruling 
Elders,  then,  among  the  Bohemian  Brethren,  af- 
fords in  itself,  strong  presumptive  proof  that  the 
same  class  of  officers  existed  in  other  branches  of 
the  same  body.  And,  accordingly,  a  Synod,  of 
which  we  have  an  account,  as  held  in  Piedmont, 
in  Italy,  in  1570,  is  represented,  repeatedly,  as 
made  up  of  "  Pastors  and  Elders."  Again  ;  in  the 
Form  of  Government  of  the  same  people,  in  the 
chapter  on  Excommunication,  we  find  the  follow- 
ing direction  respecting  the  disorderly,  who  refuse 
to  listen  to  private  admonition : — "  Tell  it  to  the 
Church,"  that  is,  to  the  "  Guides,  whereby  the 
Church  is  ruled;"  and  that  we  may  be  at  no  loss 
who  these  "  Rulers"  were,  we  are  told,  in  a  pre- 
ceding chapter,  that  they  were  Elders  chosen  from 
among  the  people  for  the  purpose  of  governing ; 
and  informed  that  they  were  distinct  from  the 
pastors. 

The  testimony  of  Perrin  and  others,  is  support- 
ed by  that  of  M.  Gillis,  another  historian  of  the 
Waldenses,  and  also  one  of  their  Pastors.     In  the 

*  Part  ii.  Book  2.  chapter  9,  10. 

t  History  of  the  Waldenses,  4to.  1655,  published  by  or- 
der of  Cromwell. 

10 


\\Q  TESTIMONY    OF 

Confession  of  Faith  of  that  people,  inserted  at 
length  in  the  "  Addition"  to  this  work,  and  stated 
by  the  historian  to  have  been  the  Confession  of  the 
Ancient,  as  well  as  of  the  Modern  Waldenses,  it  is 
declared,  (p.  490 — Art.  31,)  that  "It  is  necessary 
for  the  Church  to  have  Pastors,  to  preach  God's 
word;  to  administer  the  sacraments,  and  to  watch 
over  the  sheep  of  Jesus  Christ;  and  also  Elders 
and  Deacons,  according  to  the  rules  of  good  and 
holy  Church  discipline,  and  the  practice  of  the  pri- 
mitive Church." 

Sir  Samuel  Moreland,  who  visited  the  Wal- 
denses in  the  year  1656,  and  took  unwearied  pains 
to  learn  from  themselves  their  History,  as  well  as 
their  Doctrine  and  Order;  informs  us  that,  besides 
iheir  Synodical  meetings,  which  took  place  once  a 
year,  when  all  candidates  for  the  pastoral  office 
were  commonly  ordained,  they  had  also  Consisto- 
ries in  their  respective  Churches,  by  means  of 
which  pure  Discipline  was  constantly  maintained.* 

Accordingly,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Ranken,  in  his  la- 
boriously learned  History  of  France,  gives  the 
following  account  of  the  Waldenses  and  Albigenses, 
whom  he  very  properly  represents  as  the  same 
people.  "  Their  government  and  discipline  were 
extremely  simple.  The  youth  intended  for  the 
ministry  among  them,  were  placed  under  the  in- 
spection of  some  of  the  elder  barbes,  or  pastors, 
who  trained  them  chiefly  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
Scriptures ;  and  when  satisfied  of  their  proficiency, 
they  received  them  as  preachers,  with  imposition 
of  hands.  'J'heir  pastors  were  maintained  by  the 
voluntary  offerings  of  the   people.     The   whole 

»  History  of  the  Evangelical  Churches  of  Piedmont, 
Book  i.  chapter  viii. 


THE    WITNESSES,  &C.  \\\ 

Church  assembled  once  a  year,  to  treat  of  their  ge- 
neral affairs.  Contributions  were  then  obtained  ; 
and  the  common  fund  was  divided,  for  the  year, 
among  not  only  the  fixed  pastors,  but  such  as  were 
itinerant,  and  had  no  particular  district  or  charge. 
If  any  of  them  had  fallen  into  scandal  or  sin,  they 
were  prohibited  from  preaching,  and  thrown  out  of 
the  society.  The  pastors  were  assisted  in  their  in- 
spection of  the  people's  morals,  by  Elders,  whom 
probably  both  pastors  and  people  elected,  and  set 
apart  for  that  purpose."*' 

Further;  not  only  does  Perrin  speak  of  the 
Ministers  and  Elders  of  the  Bohemian  Churches, 
thereby  plainly  intimating  that  they  had  a  class  of 
Elders  distinct  from  their  Pastors,  or  Preachers  ; 
but  the  same  thing  is  placed  beyond  the  possibility 
of  doubt  or  question  by  the  Bohemian  Brethren 
themselves,  who,  in  the  year  1535,  presented  a 
Confession  of  iheir  Faith,  to  Ferdinand,  king  of 
Hungary  and  Bohemia,  with  a  friendly  and  highly 
commendatory  Preface  by  Luiher;  and  who,  a 
number  of  years  afterward  published  their  "  Plan 
of  Government  and  Discipline,"  which  contains 
the  following  paragraph : 

"  Elders  [Fresbyteri,  sen  Censores  morwn)  are 
honest,  grave,  pious  men,  chosen  out  of  the  whole 
congregation,  that  they  may  act  as  guardians  of  all 
the  rest.  To  them  authority  is  given,  (either  alone, 
or  in  connexion  with  the  Pastor)  to  admonish  and 
rebuke  those  who  transgress  the  prescribed  rules, 
also  to  reconcile  those  who  are  at  variance,  and  to 
restore  to  order  whatever  irregularity  they  may 
have  noticed.  Likewise  in  secular  matters,  relat- 
ing to  domestic  concerns,  the  younger  men  and 

*  History  of  France,  Vol.  iii.  p.  203,  204. 


2  ]  2  TESTIMONY  OF 

youths  are  in  the  habit  of  asking  their  counsel,  and 
of  being  faithfully  advised  by  them.  From  the 
example  and  practice  of  the  ancient  Church,  we 
believe  that  this  ought  always  to  be  done;  see 
Exodus  xviii.  21. — Deuteronomy  i.  13. — ^1  Cor.  vi. 
2,  4,  5.— 1  Tim.  v.  17." 

This,  they  say,  at  the  close,  •'  is  the  ecclesiasti- 
cal order  which  they  and  their  forefathers  had  had 
established  among  them  for  two  hundred  years  ;* 
which  they  derived  from  the  word  of  God  ;  which 
they  maintained  through  much  persecution,  and 
with  much  patience,  and  which  they  had  observed 
with  much  happy  fruit  to  themselves,  and  to  the 
people  of  God."t 

And  that  all  mistake  might  be  precluded  respect- 
ing the  real  import  of  the  above  stated  clauses,  the 
Bohemian  historian  and  commentator,  Comenius, 
makes  the  following  remarks  on  the  Elders  in 
question  : 

"  Presbyter,  a  Greek  term,  signifying  the  same 
with  Senior,  in  Latin,  (an  Elder,)  is  applied  by  the 
Apostles  both  to  the  Pastors  of  the  Church,  and  to 
those  who  assisted  them  in  taking  care  of  the  flock, 
'  who  do  not  labour  in  the  word  and  doctrine ;' 
1  Timothy  v.  17.  Such  are  our  Elders;  they  are 
styled  Judges  of  the  congregation,  or  Censors  of 

*  The  "Plan  of  Government  and  Discipline,"  from 
which  the  above  extracts  are  made,  was  drawn  up  by 
their  "General  Synod"  in  1616,  and  printed  in  1632. 
When,  therefore,  they  declare  that  they  and  their  fore- 
fathers had  enjoyed  the  same  order  for  two  hundred  years, 
it  carries  back  the  date  of  this  system  to  1416,  that  is,  to 
the  time  of  John  Huss  ;  and,  of  coarse,  nearly^  a  century 
before  the  birth  of  Calvin. 

t  Jo.  Amos  Comenii  Historia  Fratrum  Bohemorum 
Ratio  DisciplinsB  Ordinisque,  &,c.  11.  56.  68. 


THE   WITNESSES,   &C.  XX3 

the  people,  and  also  Ruling  Elders.  I  am  not  igno- 
rant, indeed,  that  Hugo  Grotius,  has  laboured  hard 
to  prove  that,  in  the  Apostles'  days,  there  were  no 
other  Presbyters  than  Pastors  ;  and  that  he  assigns 
a  different  meaning  to  the  passage  in  1  Timothy 
V.  17.  Yet,  inasmuch  as  he  dually  confesses, 
that,  although  such  Elders  of  the  Church  as  sit 
with  the  Pastors  in  Ecclesiastical  Judicatories,  be 
an  institution  of  human  prudence,  they  are,  never- 
theless, very  useful,  and  ought  by  all  means  to  be 
retained,  I  hope  no  one  will  easily  find  any  reason- 
able objection.  To  guard  against  abuses,  he  sub- 
joins very  judicious  cautions,  at  the  close  of  chap- 
ter xi.  of  the  book  which  he  entitled,  De  Imperio 
Summarum  Frotestatum  circa  Sacra.''^* 

In  precisely  the  same  manner  are  both  the  theory 
and  practice  of  the  Bohemian  Brethren  understood 
by  the  celebrated  Martin  Bucer,  a  very  learned 
Lutheran  divine,  whose  fame,  throughout  Europe, 
induced  Archbishop  Cranmer  to  invite  him  to  Eng- 
land, during  the  progress  of  the  Reformation  in  that 
country,  where  he  received  patronage  and  prefer- 
ment, and  was  held  in  high  estimation.  Bucer  was 
a  contemporary  of  the  Bohemian  worthies  who 
published  the  exhibition  of  their  faith  and  practice 
above  quoted,  and,  of  course,  had  every  opportunity 
of  knowing  both  its  letter  and  spirit.  He  speaks 
of  it  in  the  following  terms: 

"  The  Bohemian  Brethren,  (Picardi,)t  who  pub- 

*  Annotationcs  ad  Rationem  Ordinis  Fratrum  Bohe- 
morum,  ad  Cap.  i.  p.  68. 

t  Bucer  styles  these  worthy  people,  Fratres  Picardi,  in 
reference  to  their  origin  from  the  Waldenses,  or  rather 
the  branch  called  Albigenses  in  France,  to  which  those 
who  migrated  to  Bohemia  belonged.  But  the  people  to 
whom  he  refers  are  ascertained  with  unerring  certainty 


114  TESTIMONY   OF 

lished  a  Confession  of  their  Aiith,  in  the  year  1535, 
with  a  Preface  by  Luther,  and  who  almost  alone 
preserved  in  the  world  the  purity  of  the  doctrine, 
and  the  vigour  of  the  discipline  of  Christ,  observed 
an  excellent  rule  for  which  we  are  compelled  to 
give  them  credit,  and  especially  to  praise  ihiit  God 
who  thus  wrought  by  them,  notwithstanding  those 
brethren  are  preposterously  despised  by  some 
learned  men.  The  rule  which  they  observe  was 
this:  besides  Ministers  of  the  Word  and  Sacra- 
ments, they  had,  in  each  Church,  a  bench  or  Col- 
lege of  men,  excelling  in  gravity,  and  prudence, 
who  performed  the  duties  of  admonishing  and  cor- 
recting ofTenders  composing  diflerences,  and  ju- 
dicially deciding  in  cases  of  dispute.  Of  this  kind 
of  Elders,  Hilary  (Ambrose)  wrote,  when  he  said : 
*'  Therefore  the  Synagogue  and  afterwards  the 
Church  had  Elders,  without  whose  counsel  nothing 
was  done.''* 

It  would  seem  difficult  to  deny  or  resist  this  tes- 
timony that  the  Bohemian  Brethren  held  to  Ruling 
Elders,  and  actually  maintained  this  class  of  officers 
in  their  Churches.  Could  Bucer,  whom  Mr.  Middle- 
ton,  in  his  Biographia  Evangelica,  represents  as 
*♦  a  man  of  immense  learning,"  and  who  is  spoken 
of,  by  Bishop  Burnet,  as,  "  perhaps,  inferior  to 
none  of  all  the  Reformers  for  learning;"  could  he 
have  been  ignorant,  either  of  ihe  real  meaning  of  a 
public  document,  put  forth  in  his  own  time,  or  of 
the  public  and  uniform  practice  of  a  body  of  pious 
people,  whom  he  seems  to  have  regarded  with  so 
much  respect  and  affection,  as  witnesses  for  God 

by  the  ♦«  Confession  of  Faith"  which  he  so  precisely  de- 
scribes. 

*  Scripta  duo  Adversaria  Latomi,  &c.  in  Cap.  De  Ec- 
clesitti  Autoritate,  p.  159.  # 


THE    WITNESSES,    &.C.  115 

in  a  dark  world?  It  cannot  be  imagined.  And 
what  gives  additional  weight  to  the  testimony  of 
this  illustrious  man  is,  that  he  seems  to  have  had 
no  interest  whatever  in  vindicating  this  class  of 
Church  officers;  for  it  is  not  known  that  he  ever 
had  any  special  inducement,  from  a  sense  of  repu- 
tation, or  any  other  cause,  to  exert  liimself  in 
maintaining  them  ;  and  the  latter  part  of  his  life 
was  spent  in  England,  in  the  service  of  the  esta- 
blished Church  of  that  kingdom,  in  the  bosom  of 
which  he  died. 

As  a  further  confirmation  of  Bucer's  judgment 
in  reference  to  the  Bohemian  Brethren,  the  cele- 
brated John  Francis  Buddacus,  an  eminently  learned 
Lutheran  divine  of  Germany,  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  who  gave  an  edition,  with  a  large  preface, 
of  the  work  of  Comenius,  in  which  the  History  of 
the  Bohemian  Brethren,  and  their  Form  of  Go- 
vernment, are  published,  evidently  understands 
their  plan  in  reference  to  the  office  of  Ruling  El- 
der, precisely  as  Bucer,  and  other  learned  men 
have  understood  it.  He  employs  the  greater  part 
of  his  preface  in  recommending  this  office.  And, 
although  he  does  not  seem  prepared  to  allow  that 
it  existed,  as  a  separate  office,  in  the  apostolic 
Church  ;  yet  he  thinks  that,  virtually,  and  in  sub- 
stance, it  did  make  a  part  of  the  apostolic  system 
of  supervision  and  order.  He  thinks,  moreover, 
that,  without  some  such  office,  it  is  wholly  impos- 
sible to  maintain  pure  morals,  and  sound  discipline 
in  the  Church  of  God;  and  that  the  Bohemian 
Brethren,  rendered  a  most  important  service  to  the 
cause  of  truth  and  piety  in  maintaining  it  in  their 
ecclesiastical  system.* 

*  Jo.  Francisci  Buddaei,  Praefatio  dc  instauranda  Dis- 
ciplina  Ecclesiastica — Passim. 


115  TESTIMONY   OF 

Luther,  in  some  of  his  early  writings,  had  ex- 
pressed an  unfavourable  opinion  of  the  Bohemian 
Brethren;  but,  upon  being  more  fully  informed  of 
iheir  Doctrine  and  Order,  and  more  especially  of 
their  provision  for  maintaining  sound  discipline,  by 
means  of  their  Eldership  in  each  congregation,  he 
changed  his  opinion,  and  became  willing  both 
to  speak  and  to  write  strongly  in  their  favour. 
Hence,  his  highly  commendatory  Preface,  to  their 
"  Confession  of  Faith,"  of  which  mention  lias  been 
already  made.  And  hence,  at  a  still  later  period, 
the  following  strong  expressions  in  favour  of  the 
same  people.  "  There  hath  not  arisen  any  people, 
since  the  times  of  the  Apostles,  whose  Church 
hath  come  nearer  to  the  apostolical  doctrine  and 
order,  than  the  Brethren  of  Bohemia. "  And  again : 
*'  although  these  Brethren  do  not  excel  us  in  purity 
of  doctrine,  (all  the  articles  of  faith  with  us  being 
sincerely  and  purely  taken  out  of  the  word  of  God,) 
yet  in  the  ordinary  discipline  of  the  Church  which 
ihey  use,  and  whereby  they  happily  govern  the 
Churches,  they  go  far  beyond  us,  and  are,  in  this 
respect,  far  more  praise-worthy.  And  we  cannot 
but  acknowledge  and  yield  this  to  them,  for  the 
glory  of  God,  and  of  his  truth ;  whereas  our  peo- 
ple of  Germany  cannot  be  persuaded  to  be  willing 
to  take  the  yoke  of  discipline  upon  them."* 

It  is  presumed  that  no  one,  after  impartially 
weighing  the  foregoing  testimonies,  will  listen,  for 
one  moment,  with  any  respect  to  the  allegation, 
that  the  plan  of  a  Bench  of  Elders  for  ruling  the 
Church  and  conducting  its  discipline,  was  invented 
by  Calvin.  But  we  may  go  further.  The  truth 
is  that,   instead  of  the  Waldenses,  or  Bohemian 

*  Job.  A.  Comenii  Historia  Bohem.  Frat.  Sect.  82. 


THE    WITNESSES,    &C.  117 

Brethren  taking  lliis  order  of  officers  from  Ciilvin, 
it  may  be  ailirmed,  that  precisely  the  reverse  was 
the  fact.  We  liave  satisfactory  evidence  that  Cal- 
vin took  the  hint  from  the  Bohemian  Bretliren  ; 
and  iliat  the  system  which  he  afterwards  established 
in  Geneva,  was  really  suggested  and  prompted  by 
the  example  of  those  pious  suflerers  and  witnesses 
for  the  truth,  who  had  this  class  of  oflicers  in  their 
Churches  long  before  Calvin's  day.  This  will  be 
made  clearly  to  appear  from  the  following  state- 
ment. 

When  Calvin  first  settled  in  Geneva,  in  1536, 
he  found  the  Reformed  Religion  already  introduced, 
and,  to  a  considerable  extent,  supported,  under  the 
ministry  of  Farel  and  Viret,  two  bold  and  faithful 
advocates  of  evangelical  truth.  Such,  however, 
was  the  opposition  made  to  the  doctrines  which 
they  preached,  and  especially  to  the  purity  of  dis- 
cipline which  they  struggled  hard  to  establish,  by 
the  licentious  part  of  the  inhabitants,  among  whom 
were  some  of  the  leading  Magistrates ;  that,  in 
1538,  Calvin  and  his  Colleagues  were  expelled 
from  their  places  in  the  Genevan  Church,  because 
they  refused  to  administer  the  Lord's  Supper  to 
the  vilest  of  the  population  who  chose  to  demand 
the  privilege.  In  a  paroxysm  of  popular  fury, 
those  faithful  ministers  of  Christ  were  commanded 
to  leave  the  city  within  two  days.  During  this 
temporary  triumph  of  error  and  profligacy,  Calvin 
retired  to  Strasburg,  where  he  was  appointed  Pro- 
fessor of  Divinity  and  Pastor  of  a  Church,  and 
where  he  remained  nearly  four  years. 

In  1540,  the  year  before  he  was  recalled  to  Ge- 
neva, he  corresponded  with  the  Bohemian  Bre- 
thren, and  made  himself  particularly  acquainted 
with  their  plan  of  Church  government,  which  he 


118  TESTIMONY   OF 

regarded  with  deep  interest;  an  interest,  no  doubt 
greatly  augmented  by  the  Pufferin??  which  he  had 
receniiy  undergone  in  fruiiless  efTorls  to  maintain 
the  purity  of  ecclesiastical  discipline;  in  which 
efforts  he  had  been  baffled  chiefly  by  the  want  of 
such  an  efficient  system  as  the  Bohemian  Churches 
possessed.  In  the  course  of  this  correspondence, 
while  yet  in  exile  for  his  fidelity,  Calvin  addressed 
the  Bohemian  Pastors  in  the  following  pointed 
terms:  *' I  heartily  congratulate  your  Churches, 
upon  which,  besides  sound  doctrine,  God  hath 
bestowed  so  many  excellent  gifts.  Of  these  gifts, 
it  is  none  of  the  least  to  have  such  Pastors  to  go- 
vern and  order  them  ;  to  have  a  people  themselves 
so  well  affected  and  disposed;  to  be  constituted 
under  so  noble  a  form  of  government;  to  be 
adorned  with  the  most  excellent  discipline,  which 
we  justly  call  most  excellent,  and,  indeed,  the  only 
bond  by  which  obedience  can  be  preserved.  1  am 
sure  we  find  with  us,  by  woful  experience,  what 
the  worth  of  it  is,  by  the  want  of  it ;  nor  yet  can 
we  by  any  means  attain  to  it.  On  this  account  it 
is,  that  I  am  often  faint  in  my  mind,  and  feeble  in 
the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  my  office.  Indeed  I 
should  quite  despair,  did  not  this  comfort  me,  that 
the  edification  of  the  Church  is  always  the  work  of 
the  Lord,  which  He  himself  will  carry  on  by  his 
own  power,  though  all  help  beside  should  fail. 
Yet  still  it  is  a  great  and  rare  blessing  to  be  aided 
by  so  necessary  a  help.  Therefore  I  shall  not 
consider- our  Church  as  properly  strengthened, 
until  they  can  be  bound  together  by  that  bond." 
And  the  pious  historian,  after  giving  this  extract 
from  the  venerable  Reformer,  adds :  "  It  so  hap- 
pened, in  the  course  of  divine  providence,  that, 
not  long  afterwards,  this  eminent  man  was  recalled 


THE   WITNESSES,    &C.  119 

to  minister  in  the  Church  of  Geneva,  where  he 
established  the  very  same  kind  of  discipline,  which 
is  now  famed  throughout  the  world."* 

Testimony  more  direct  and  conclusive  could 
scarcely  be  desired.  Comenius,  himself  a  Bishop 
of  the  IBohemian  Brethren,  surely  knew  what  kind 
of  Eldership  it  was  which  was  established  among 
the  Churches  of  his  own  denomination.  He  says 
it  was  the  very  same  with  that  which  Calvin  after- 
wards established  in  Geneva.  We  know,  too, 
that  this  venerable  man,  before  he  was  expelled 
from  Geneva,  in  1538,  and  while  he  was  strug- 
gling and  suffering  so  much  for  want  of  an  efficient 
discipline,  made  no  attempt  to  introduce  the  insti- 
tution in  question.  But,  during  his  painful  exile, 
his  attention  is  forcibly  turned  to  the  Bohemian 
plan.  He  is  greatly  pleased  with  it;  speaks  in 
the  strongest  terms  of  its  excellence;  declares  that 
he  has  no  hope  of  any  Church  prospering  until  it 
is  introduced ;  and  the  very  next  year,  on  his  re- 
turn, makes  it  one  of  the  conditions  of  his  resuming 
his  pastoral  Charge,  that  this  plan  of  conducting 
the  discipline  of  the  Church,  by  a  bench  of  Elders, 
shall  be  received  with  him,  and  thus  causes  it  to  be 
adopted  in  Geneva. 

And  yet  the  historian  of  the  Waldenses,  John 
Paul  Perrin,  has  been  reproached,  and  insinuations 
made  unfavourable  to  his  honesty,  because  he  has 
represented  the  Bohemian  Brethren  as  having  ec- 
clesiastical Elders  distinct  from  their  Ministers  of 
the  gospel.  How  utterly  unjust  such  reproaches 
are,  every  one  must  now  see.  If  there  were  ever 
Ruling  Elders  in  Geneva,  they  were  found  in  the 
Churches  of  Bohemia.     Nor  is  it  any  solid  objec- 

*  Joh.  A.  Comenii  Historia  Bohera.  Frat.  Sect.  80. 


120  TESTIMONY   OF   THE   WITNESSES,   &C. 

tion  to  the  fact,  as  we  have  stated  it,  that  they  had 
some  other  features  in  their  system  of  Church 
order,  which  were  not  strictly  Presbyterian.  All 
that  the  historian  has  to  do  is  with  facts.  Having 
stated  these,  he  is  answerable  for  nothing  more. 
That  those  Churches  gave  the  title  of  Seniors,  but 
more  frequently  of  Antistites  to  certain  elderly 
clergymen,  who  were  peculiarly  venerable  in  their 
character,  and  who  chiefly  took  the  lead  in  all  or- 
dinations, is,  no  doubt,  true ;  that,  in  their  plan  of 
Church  government,  they  distinguished  their  Dia- 
coni  from  their  Eleemosynarii ;  and  that  they  in- 
clude in  the  list  of  their  ecclesiastical  offices,  some 
which  are  strictly  secular,  is  also  manifest.  But 
surely  none  of  these  invalidate  the  fact,  that  they 
had  Ruling  Elders;  a  fact  stated  in  a  manner 
which  it  is  impossible  either  to  doubt  or  mistake. 
Thus  we  have  good  evidence,  that  all  the  most 
distinguished  and  faithful  witnesses  for  the  truth, 
during  the  dark  ages,  with  whose  faith  and  order 
we  have  any  minute  acquaintance,  carefully  main- 
tained the  office  for  which  we  are  contending; 
that  some  of  them,  at  least,  considered  it  as  of  Di- 
vine appointment,  and  accordingly  quote  in  its 
support  Scriptural  authority ;  and  that  they  appear, 
with  good  reason,  to  have  regarded  it  as  one  of 
the  most  efficient  means,  under  the  Divine  blessing, 
of  promoting  the  spiritual  order  and  edification  of 
the  Church. 


121 


CHAPTER  VI. 


TESTIMONY  OF  THE  REFORMERS,  AND  OTHER  LEARNED 
AND  DISINTERESTED  WITNESSES,  NEARLY  CONTEMPO- 
RARY WITH  THEM. 

We  have  seen  how  utterly  groundless  is  the  asser- 
tion, that  Ruling  Elders  were  invented  and  first  in- 
troduced by  Calvin  at  Geneva.  If  there  be  any 
truth  in  history,  they  were  in  use  long  before  Cal- 
vin was  born,  and  in  the  purest  Churches  on  earth, 
to  say  nothing  of  their  apostolical  origin.  Nor  is 
this  all.  It  may  further  be  maintained,  that  a  great 
majority  of  the  Reformers,  in  organizing  those 
Churclies  which  separated  from  the  Church  of 
Rome,  either  actually  introduced  this  class  of  offi- 
cers, or,  in  their  published  writings,  freely  and 
fully  declared  in  its  favour.  And  this  was  the 
case,  as  we  shall  presently  see,  not  merely  on  the 
part  of  those  who  followed  Calvin,  both  as  to  time 
and  opinion;  but  also  on  the  part  of  those  who 
either  preceded,  or  had  no  ecclesiastical  connexion 
whatever,  with  that  illustrious  man ;  and  who 
were  far  from  agreeing  with  him  in  many  other 
particulars.  Now  this  is  surely  a  marvellous  fact, 
if,  as  some  respectable  writers  would  persuade  us 
to  believe,  the  office  in  question  is  a  mere  figment 
of  Genevan  contrivance,  toward  the  middle  of  the 
sixteenth  century. 

The  first  Reformer  whose  testimony  I  shall  ad- 
duce, in  favour  of  this  office,  is  Ulrick  Zuingle,  the 
celebrated  leader  in  the  work  of  Reformation  in 
Switzerland.     And  I  mention  him  first,  because, 


122  TESTIMONY   OF 

as  he  never  was  connected  with  Calvin;  nay,  as 
he  was  removed  by  death,  in  1531,  five  years  be- 
fore Calvin  ever  saw  Geneva,  or  appeared  in  the 
ranks  of  the  Reformers,  and  ten  years  before  the 
introduction  of  Ruling  Elders  into  that  city,  he 
cannot  be  suspected  of  speaking  as  the  humble 
imitator  of  that  justly  honoured  individual. 

On  the  subject  of  Ruling  Elders,  Zuingle  speaks 
thus  : — "  The  title  of  Presbyter  or  Elder,  as  used 
in  Scripture,  is  not  rightly  understood  by  those 
who  consider  it  as  applicable  only  to  those  who 
preside  in  preaching:  For  it  is  evident  that  the 
term  is  also  sometimes  used  to  designate  Elders, 
of  another  kind,  that  is,  Senators,  Leaders,  or 
Counsellors.  So  we  read  Acts  xv.,  where  it  is 
said,  "  the  Apostles  and  Elders  come  together  to 
consider  of  this  matter."  Here  we  see  that  the 
Elders  spoken  of  are  to  be  considered  as  Senators 
or  Counsellors.  It  is  evident  that  the  Trejc^un^oi 
mentioned  in  this  place  were  not  Ministers  of  the 
word ;  but  that  they  were  aged,  prudent,  and  ve- 
nerable men,  who,  in  directing  and  managing  the 
affairs  of  the  Church,  were  the  same  thing  as  the 
Senators  in  our  cities.  And  the  title  Elder  is  used 
in  the  same  sense,  in  many  other  places  in  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles."* 

Again;  Oecolampadius,  who  also  died  before 
Calvin  appeared  as  an  active  Reformer,  and  of 
course  before  the  introduction  of  Ruling  Elders  in 
the  Church  of  Geneva,  speaks  thus,  in  an  Oration 
which  he  pronounced  before  the  Senate  of  Basil, 

*  This  quotation  from  Zuingle,  is  taken  from  the  Poli- 
ticcR  Ecclesiastica  of  Voetius,  in  which  it  is  cited  for  the 
same  purpose  as  here ;  a  copy  of  the  works  of  the  Swiss 
Reformer  not  being  at  present  within  the  reach  of  the 
writer  of  the  Essay. 


THE   REFORMERS.  123 

in  1530,  about  a  year  before  his  death.  "But  it 
is  evident  that  those  which  are  here  intended,  are 
certain  Seniors  or  Elders,  such  as  were  in  the 
Apostle's  days,  and  who  of  old  time  were  called 
7r^i;!?.urie^oty  whosc  judgment,  being  that  of  the  most 
prudent  part  of  the  (church,  was  considered  as  the 
decision  of  the  whole  Church." 

Here,  again,  is  the  testimony  of  a  man,  who 
could  not  have  been  influenced  by  any  knowledge 
of  the  opinions  of  Calvin,  for  Calvin  had,  as  yet, 
published  no  opinions  on  the  subject: — and  who 
yet  speaks  in  very  unequivocal  terms  of  a  class  of 
officers^  as  not  only  existing  afterwards,  but  as  of 
apostolical  institution  ;  which,  according  to  some, 
were  not  known  in  the  Church,  either  in  theory 
or  practice,  for  ten  years  after  the  decease  of  this 
distinguished  reformer. 

The  testimony  of  Martin  Bucer,  as  one  of  the 
most  venerable  and  active  of  the  Reformers,  pro- 
perly belongs  to  this  branch  of  the  subject.  But 
as  his  sentiments  were  so  fully  detailed  in  the 
quotation  from  him,  presented  in  the  preceding 
chapter,  it  is  not  deemed  necessary  to  repeat  the 
statement  here.  From  that  extract  it  is  evident, 
not  only  that  he  approved  of  the  office  of  Ruling 
Elder,  as  of  eminent  use  in  the  Church;  but  also 
that  he  considered  Ambrose  as  asserting  that  offi- 
cers of  this  class  were  found  in  the  primitive 
Church,  and  that  he  agreed  with  the  pious  Father 
in  maintaining  this  assertion.  Here  was  another 
eminently  learned  man,  and  a  contemporary  of 
Calvin,  who  bears  testimony,  that  Ruling  Elders 
were  in  use,  in  the  purest  portion  of  the  Christian 
Church,  as  a  laudable  and  scriptural  institution, 
centuries  before  the  Reformer  of  Geneva  was  born. 

The   character  of  Peter  Martyr,  a   celebrated 


124  TESTIMONY   OF 

Protestant  divine  of  Italy,  whose  high  reputation 
induced  Edward  VI.,  to  invite  him  to  England, 
where  he  was  made  Professor  of  Divinity  at  Ox- 
ford, and  Canon  of  Christ  Church,  speaks  of  Rul- 
ing Elders  in  the  following  decisive  terms; — "  The 
Church"  (speaking  of  the  Primitive  Church)  "  had 
its  Elders,  or,  if  1  may  so  speak,  its  Senate,  who 
consulted  about  things  which  were  for  edification 
for  the  time  being.  Paul  describes  this  kind  of 
ministry;  not  only  in  the  12th  chapter  of  the 
Epistles  to  the  Romans,  but  also  in  the  first  Epistle 
to  Timothy,  where  he  thus  writes: — "Let  the 
Elders  that  rule  well,  be  counted  worthy  of  double 
honour,  especially  those  that  labour  in  the  word 
and  doctrine.  Which  words  appear  to  me  to  sig- 
nify, that  there  were  then  some  Elders  who  taught 
and  preached  the  word  of  God,  and  another  class 
of  Elders  who  did  not  teach,  but  only  ruled  in  the 
Church.  Concerning  these,  Ambrose  speaks,  when 
he  expounds  this  passage  in  Timothy.  Nay,  he 
inquires  whether  it  was  owing  to  the  pride  or  the 
sloth  of  the  sacerdotal  order  that  they  had  then  al- 
most ceased  in  the  Church."* 

The  celebrated  John  A  Lasco,  a  devoted  and 
eminently  useful  Reformer,  is  also  a  decisive  wit- 
ness on  the  same  side.  A  Lasco  was  a  Polish  noble- 
man, of  excellent  education,  and  great  learning. 
He  was  offered  two  Bishoprics  one  in  Poland,  and 
another  in  Hungary :  but  he  forsook  his  native 
country,  and  all  the  secular  and  ecclesiastical  ho- 
nours which  awaited  him,  from  love  to  the  reform- 
ed religion.  In  his  youth  he  enjoyed  the  special 
friendship  of  Erasmus,  who  speaks  of  him  in  one 
of  his  letters,  {Erasmi  Epist.  Lib.  28.  Ep.  3,)  as 

*  P,  Mariyris  Loci  Communes.  C\a.aB,  iv.  Cap.  1.  Sect.  2. 


THE   REFORMERS.  125 

a  man  of  uncommon  excellence  and  worth.  The 
Protestant  Churcfies  in  the  Low  Countries  being 
scattered  in  consequence  of  the  agitation  produced 
by  the  celebrated  ordinance,  called  the  Interim, 
published  by  Charles  V.,  A  Lasco  was  invited  to 
England,  by  King  Edward  YL,  at  the  instance  of 
Archbishop  Cranmer.  He  accepted  the  invitation, 
and  was  chosen  Superintendent*  of  the  German, 
French,  and  Italian  congregations  erected  in  Lon- 
don, which  are  said  to  have  consisted,  in  the  ag- 
gregate, of  more  than  three  thousand  souls.  He 
afterwards  published  an  account  of  the  form  of 
government  and  worship  adopted  in  those  congre- 
gations. The  affairs  of  each,  it  is  distinctly  stated 
in  that  account,  were  managed  by  a  Pastor,  Ruling 
Elders,  and  Deacuns,  and  each  of  these  classes  of 
officers  was  considered  as  of  divine  appointment. 
"We  also  learn,  from  his  statement,  that  the  Ruling 
Elders  and  Deacons  of  these  Churches,  as  well  as 
the  Pastors,  were  ordained  by  the  imposition  of 
hands.  He  further  informs  us,  that,  in  the  admi- 
nistration of  the  Lord's  Supper,  in  the  Churches 
under  his  superintendency,  the  communicants  sat 
at  the  table;  and  he  occupies  a  number  of  pages 
in  showing  that  this  posture  ought  to  be  preferred 
to  kneeling.  In  short,  he  declares  "We  have  laid 
aside  all  the  relics  of  Popery,  with  its  mummeries, 

*  It  is  worthy  of  notice  here  that  although  a  Supeiin- 
tendent  was  regarded  by  A  Lasco  as  one  who  had  the  in- 
spection of  several  congregations;  yet  "he  was  greater 
than  his  brethren  only  in  respect  of  his  greater  trouble 
and  care,  not  having  more  authority  than  the  other  Elders, 
either  as  to  the  .Ministry  of  the  word  and  sacraments,  or 
as  to  the  exercise  of  ecclesiastical  discipline,  to  which  he 
was  subject  equally  with  the  rest." 
II 


126  TESTIMONY    OF 

and  we  have  studied  the  greatest  possible  simpli- 
city in  ceretnoiiies." 

Notwithstanding  the  publication  of  these  senti- 
ments, and  the  establishment  of  these  practices, 
marking  so  great  a  non-conformity  with  the  Church 
of  England,  A  Lasco  was  highly  esteemed,  and 
warmly  patronized,  by  Archbishop  Cranmer,  and 
also  by  the  King,  who  granted  him  Letters  Patent, 
constituting  him  and  the  other  ministers  of  the 
foreign  congregations,  a  body  corporate,  and  giving 
them  important  privileges  and  powers.  These 
letters  may  be  seen  among  the  Original  Records 
subjoined  to  Burnet's  History  of  the  Reformation, 
ii.  202.  The  following  remarks  by  A  Lasco  him- 
self, will  serve  at  once  to  explain  the  design  of  the 
King  in  granting  his  royal  sanction  to  these  peo- 
ple, and  also  his  own  view  of  the  principles  upon 
which  he  and  his  brethren  acted  in  founding  the 
Churches  in  question. 

"  When  I  was  called  by  the  King,  and  when 
certain  laws  of  the  country  stood  in  the  way,  so 
that  the  public  rites  of  divine  worship  used  under 
the  Papacy,  could  not  be  immediately  purged  out, 
(which  the  King  himself  greatly  desired,)  and  when 
1  was  anxious  and  earnest  in  my  solicitations  for 
the  foreign  Churches,  it  was,  at  length,  iiis  plea- 
sure, that  the  public  riles  of  the  English  Churches 
should  be  reformed  by  degrees,  as  far  as  could  be 
accomplished  by  the  laws  of  the  country  ;  but  that 
strangers,  who  were  not  strictly  and  to  the  same 
extent  bound  by  these  laws,  should  have  Churches 
granted  to  them,  in  which  they  should  freely  regu- 
late all  things,  wholly  according  to  apostolical  doc- 
trine and  practice,  without  any  regard  to  the  rites 
of  the  country ;  that  by  this  means  the  English 
Churches  also  might  be  excited  to  embrace  apos- 


THE   REFORMERS.  127 

tolical  purity,  by  the  unanimous  consent  of  all  the 
estates  of  the  kingdom.  Of  this  project,  the  kinof 
himself,  from  his  great  piety,  was  both  the  chief 
author  and  the  defender.  For  although  it  was 
almost  universally  acceptable  to  the  King's  Coun- 
cil, and  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  promoted  it 
with  all  his  might,  there  were  not  wanting  some, 
who  took  it  ill,  and  would  have  opposed  it,  had 
not  his  majesty  checked  them  by  his  authority, 
and  by  the  reasons  which  he  adduced  in  favour  of 
the  design."  Again,  in  the  Appendix  to  the  same 
book,  p.  649,  he  says:  "  The  care  of  our  Church 
was  committed  to  us  chiefly  with  this  view,  that  in 
the  ministration  thereof  we  should  follow  the  rules 
of  the  Divine  Word,  and  apostolical  observance, 
rather  than  any  rites  of  other  Churches.  In  fine, 
we  were  admonished,  both  by  the  King  himself, 
and  his  chief  nobility,  to  use  this  great  liberty 
granted  to  us  in  our  ministry,  rightly  and  faithfully  ; 
not  to  please  men,  but  for  the  glory  of  God,  by 
promoting  the  reformation  of  his  worship."* 

On  the  whole,  we  have  in  this  case  a  witness  as 
unexceptionable  and  weighty  as  can  well  be  de- 
sired. A  man  of  eminent  learning,  piety,  and  de- 
votedness.  A  man  formed,  not  in  the  school  of 
Calvin,  but  of  Zaingle.  A  man  who,  when  the 
transactions  and  publications  above  alluded  to,  oc- 
curred, lived  in  England,  where  Ruling  Elders 
were  unknown:  and  who,  yet,  in  these  circum- 

*  See  McCrie's  Life  of  Knox,  Vol.  i.  p.  392—396.  See 
also  Gisberti  Voetii  Politicae  Ecclesiasticse.  Tom.  i.  420 — 
422.  See  also,  Forma  et  Ratio  totius  Ecclesiastici  .Minis- 
terii  Edvardi  sexti  in  Peregrinorum,  maxime  Germanorum 
Eccles.  Also,  De  Ordinatione  Ecclesiarum  Peregrinarum 
in  Anglia.     Epist.  Dedicat,  et  p.  649. 


128  TESTIMONY    OF 

stances,  declared  liimself  in  favour  of  this  class  of 
officers,  as  of  Divine  appointment,  and  as  impor- 
tant to  the  purity  and  edification  of  the  Church. 

But  there  is  a  still  more  conclusive  fact  in  re- 
ference to  this  stage  of  the  Reformation  in  Eng- 
land. A  Lasco,  it  will  be  observed,  asserts,  that 
both  king  Edward,  and  Archbishop  Cranmer,  were 
strongly  favourable  to  the  plan  of  discipline  which 
he  and  others  had  introduced  into  the  Churches  of 
Foreign  Protestants  in  England.  In  confirmation 
of  this  statement,  there  is  evidence  that  Cranmer, 
and  the  rest  of  the  Commissioners,  in  Edward's 
reign,  did  directly  propose  the  introduction  of  Ru- 
ling Elders  in  the  national  Church.  They  drew 
up  a  body  of  laws,  which,  though  not  finally  rati- 
fied, partly  on  account  of  opposing  influence,  and 
partly  from  the  premature  decease  of  the  monarch; 
yet  clearly  show  the  opinion  and  wishes  of  Cran- 
mer and  his  associates.  One  of  the  proposed  laws 
is  as  follows:  "After  evening  prayers,  on  which 
all  shall  attend  in  their  own  parish  Churches,  the 
principal  minister  or  Parson,  and  the  Deacon,  if 
they  are  present :  or,  in  case  of  their  absence,  the 
Curate  and  the  Elders,  shall  consider  how  the 
money  given  for  pious  uses  had  best  be  laid  out; 
and  then  let  discipline  be  exercised.  For  those 
whose  sin  has  been  public,  and  given  offence  to  the 
whole  Church,  should  be  brought  to  a  sense  of  it, 
and  publicly  undergo  the  punishment  of  it,  that 
so  the  Church  may  be  the  better  for  their  cor- 
rection. After  that  the  minister  shall  withdraw, 
with  some  of  the  Elders,  and  consult  how  all  other 
persons  who  are  disorderly  in  their  life  and  con- 
versation may  be  conversed  with;  first  by  some 
sober  and  good  men  in  a  brotherly  manner  accord- 
ing to  the  direction  of  Christ  in  the  Gospel;  and 


THE    REFORMERS.  129 

if  they  hearken  to  then-  advice,  God  is  to  be  praised 
for  it;  but  if  they  go  on  in  their  wickedness,  they 
are  to  be  restrained  by  that  severe  punishment, 
which  is  in  the  Gospel  prescribed  for  such  ob- 
stinacy."* 

The  testimony  of  Calvin  will  next  be  introduced. 
As  he  is  charged  with  being  the  inventor  of  this 
class  of  officers,  the  weight  of  his  opinion  as  a 
witness  in  its  favour,  will  probably  be  deemed 
small  by  its  opposers.  But  there  is  one  point  of 
view  in  which  his  testimony  will  surely  be  re- 
garded wiih  deep  respect,  and,  may  I  not  add,  as 
decisive?  That  he  was  a  man  of  mature  and  pro- 
found learning,  no  one  can  doubt.  Joseph  Scali- 
ger,  himself  a  prodigy  of  erudition,  pronounced 
him  to  have  been  the  most  learned  man  in  Europe 
in  his  day;  and,  particularly,  "that  no  man  un- 
derstood ecclesiastical  history  so  well."  Now,  it 
is  certain  that  Calvin  did  not  consider  the  office  of 
Ruling  Elder  as  originating  with  himself;  but  that 
he  regarded  it  as  an  apostolical  institution;  that  he 
refers  to  Scripture  for  its  support;  and  that  he 
quotes  Ambrose,  (whose  testimony  has  been  so 
often  referred  to.)  as  an  unquestionable  witness  for 
the  existence  of  the  office  under  consideration  in 
the  primitive  Church.  The  following  extracts 
from  his  Commentary  and  his  Institutions,  will 
fully  establish  what  is  here  asserted. 

In  his  exposition  of  1  Tim.  v.  17,  he  speaks 
thus:  "From  this  passage  we  may  gather  that 
there  were  then  two  kinds  of  Presbyters,  because 

*  Peirce's  Vindication  of  the  Dissenters,  p.  23.  Bax- 
ter's  Treatise  of  Episcopacy,  part  ii.  p.  112.  Reformatio 
Legum  Ecclesiasticarum,  ex  autlioritate  Regis.  Hen.  viii. 
et.  Edv.  vi.  4to.  1640. 


130  TESTIMONY   OF 

they  were  not  all  ordained  to  the  work  of  teaching. 
For  the  words  plainly  mean  that  some  ruled  well, 
to  whom  no  part  of  the  public  instruction  was 
commitled.  And  verily  there  were  chosen  from 
among  the  people,  grave  and  approved  men,  who, 
in  common  council,  and  joint  authority  wiih  the 
Pastors,  administered  the  discipline  of  the  Church, 
and  acted  the  part  of  censors  for  the  correction  of 
morals.  This  practice  Ambrose  complains,  had 
fallen  into  disuse,  through  the  indolence,  or  rather 
the  pride  of  the  teaching  elders,  who  wished  alone 
to  be  distinguished." 

In  his  Institutions,  (Book  iv.  Chapter  iii.,)  he 
has  the  following  passage,  equally  explicit.  "  In 
calling  those  who  preside  over  Churches  by  the 
appellations  of  "  Bishops,"  "  Elders,"  and  "  Pas- 
tors," without  any  distinction,  I  have  followed  the 
usage  of  the  Scriptures,  which  apply  all  these 
terms  to  express  the  same  meaning.  For  to  all 
who  discharge  the  ministry  of  the  word,  they  give 
the  title  of  "Bishops."  So  when  Paul  enjoins 
Titus  to  "ordain  Eiders  in  every  city,''  he  im- 
mediately adds,  "  For  a  Bishop  must  be  blame- 
less." So,  in  another  place,  he  salutes  more 
Bishops  than  one  in  one  Church.  And  in  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles,  he  is  declared  to  have  sent 
for  the  Elders  of  the  Church  of  Ephesus,  whom, 
in  his  address  to  them,  he  calls  "  Bishops."  Here 
it  must  be  observed,  that  we  have  enumerated  only 
those  offices  which  consist  in  the  ministry  of  the 
word ;  nor  does  Paul  mention  any  other  in  the 
fourth  cliapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians 
which  we  have  quoted.  But  in  the  Epistle  to  the 
Romans,  and  the  first  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians, 
he  enumerates  others,  as  "  powers,"  "  gifts  of 
healing,"  ♦'  interpretation  of  tongues,"  "  govern- 


THE    REFORMERS.  231 

of  the  poor."  Those  functions 
which  are  merely  temporary,  I  omit,  as  foreign  to 
our  present  suhject.  But  there  are  two  which 
perpetually  remain,  "governments,"  and  "the 
care  of  the  poor."  "  Governors,"  I  apprehend  to 
have  been  persons  of  advanced  years,  selected  from 
the  people,  to  unite  with  the  Bishops  in  giving  ad- 
monitions, and  exercising  discipline.  For  no  other 
interpretation  can  be  given  of  that  injunction,  "  He 
that  ruleth,  let  him  do  it  with  diligence."  For 
from  the  beginning,  every  Church  has  had  its 
senate,  or  council  composed  of  pious,  grave,  and 
holy  men,  who  were  invested  with  that  jurisdic- 
tion, for  the  correction  of  vices,  of  which  we  shall 
soon  treat.  Now,  that  tiiis  was  not  the  regulation 
of  a  single  age,  experience  itself  demonstrates. 
This  office  of  government  is  necessary,  therefore, 
in  every  age." 

I  ask,  was  Calvin,  honest,  or  dishonest,  in  these 
declarations  ?  If  he  had  invented  and  introduced 
the  office  himself,  could  he  have  been  ignorant  of 
the  fact  ?  And  whether  it  was  so  or  not,  who  may 
reasonably  be  considered  as  best  able  to  judge — 
HIMSELF,  or  those  who  live  nearly  three  hundred 
years  after  him?  And  who  would  be  most  likely 
to  know  whether  it  were  of  ancient  or  modern 
origin ; — the  most  learned  man  then,  perhaps,  in 
the  world  ; — or  men  with  not  a  tenth  part  of  his 
erudition,  at  the  present  day  ?  The  truth  is,  these 
passages,  considered  in  connexion  with  that  quoted 
in  a  former  chapter,  in  which  he  speaks  of  himself, 
in  reference  to  this  office,  as  following  the  example 
of  the  pious  Witnesses  of  the  truth  who  preceded 
him ; — prove,  either,  that  Calvin  did  not  consider 
himself  as  the  inventor  of  the  oflice,  but  believed 
that  it  had  been  in  the  Church  in  all  ages; — or 


J 32  TESTIMONY   OF 

that  he  was  gratuitously  and  profligately  regard- 
less of  the  truth  to  a  degree  never  laid  to  his 
charge. 

Nor  is  the  testimony  to  the  primitive  existence 
of  the  class  of  officers,  confined  to  those  of  the  Re- 
formers who  were  favourable  to  their  continuance 
in  the  Church.  tSome  by  no  means  friendly  to 
their  restoration,  were  yet  constrained  to  acknow- 
ledge their  early  origin. 

That  there  were  Ruling  Elders  in  the  primitive 
Church,  is  explicitly  granted  by  Archbishop  Whit- 
gift,  a  warm  and  learned  friend  of  diocesan  Episco- 
pacy. "I  know,"  says  he,  "that  in  the  Primi- 
tive Church,  they  had  in  every  Church  certain 
Seniors,  to  whom  the  government  of  the  Congre- 
gation was  commitied  ;  but  that  was  before  there 
was  any  Christian  Prince  or  Magistrate  that  openly 
professed  the  Gospel ;  and  before  there  was  any 
Cliurch  by  public  authority  established." 

And  again  : — "  Both  the  name  and  office  of  Se- 
niors were  extinguished  before  Ambrose's  time,  as 
he  himself  doih  testify,  writing  upon  the  fifth  of 
the  first  Epistle  to  Timothy.  Indeed,  as  Ambrose 
saith,  the  Synagogue,  and  afterwards  the  Church, 
had  Seniors,  without  whose  counsel  nothing  was 
done  in  the  Church;  but  that  was  before  his  lime, 
and  before  there  was  any  Christian  Magistrate,  or 
any  Church  established."*  The  learned  and  acute 
Archbishop,  it  seems,  was  not  only  convinced  that 
there  were  Ruling  Elders,  distinct  from  Preaching 
Elders,  in  the  Primitive  Church,  but  with  all  his 
erudition  and  discernnient.  he  understood  Ambrose 
just  as  the  friends  of  this  class  of  officers  now  un- 
derstand hirn. 

*  Defence  against  Cartwright,  p.  638,  651. 


THE    REFORMERS.  ]  33 

There  is  another  testimony  on  this  subject,  from 
one  of  the  most  conspicuous  and  active  friends  of 
the  Reformation  in  England,  which  is  worthy  of 
particular  notice.  I  refer  to  that  of  the  Rev.  Dean 
Nowell,  who  flourished  in  the  reign  of  Queen 
Elizabeth,  and  whose  celebrated  Catechism,  drawn 
up  in  1562,  obtained,  perhaps  as  much  currency 
and  respect  as  any  publication  of  that  period. 
Nor  are  we  to  consider  it  as  expressing  the  senti- 
ments of  the  illustrious  divine  whose  name  it  bears, 
alone;  for  it  was  unanimously  approved  and  sanc- 
tioned by  the  same  lower  house  of  Convocation 
which  passed  the  39  Articles  of  the  Church  of 
England,  and  directed  to  be  published  and  used  as 
containing  the  true  doctrine  of  that  Church.  In 
this  Catechism,  toward  the  close,  when  speaking 
of  the  evils  of  retaining  unworthy  members  in  the 
Church,  tlie  following  questions  and  ansNvers 
occur : — 

"  Q.  What  remedy  for  this  evil  can  be  devised 
and  applied?" 

"  A.  In  Churches  well  constituted  and  governed, 
there  was,  as  I  before  said,  a  certain  plan  and  order 
of  government  appointed  and  observed.  Elders 
were  chosen,  that  is,  ecclesiastical  rulers,  who  con- 
ducted and  maintained  the  discipline  of  the  Church. 
To  these  pertained  authority,  reproof,  and  chastise- 
ment ;  and  they,  with  the  concurrence  of  the  Pastor, 
if  they  knew  any  who,  by  false  opinions,  trouble- 
some errors,  foolish  superstitions,  or  vicious  and 
profligate  lives,  were  likely  to  bring  a  great  public 
scandal  on  the  Church  of  God,  and  who  could  not 
approach  the  Lord's  Supper  without  a  manifest 
profanation,  repelled  them  from  the  communion, 
and  no  more  admitted  them  until,  by  public  penia* 
tence,  they  gave  satisfaction  to  the  Church." 
12 


134 


TESTIMONY    OF 


"Q.  What  is  to  be  done?"  (when  those  who 
have  been  excluded  from  the  Church,  repent,  and 
desire  to  be  restored  to  its  communion.) 

"A.  That  they  may  be  received  again  into  the 
Church,  and  to  the  enjoyment  of  its  holy  mysteries, 
from  which  they  have  been  deservedly  cast  out, 
they  ought  humbly  to  supplicate  and  pray.  And, 
on  the  whole,  there  ought  to  be  such  moderation 
used  in  administering  public  penance,  that  neither 
by  too  much  severity  the  offender  may  be  reduced 
to  despondency ;  nor  by  too  much  lenity,  the  dis- 
cipline of  the  Church  relaxed,  its  authority  dimi- 
nished, and  others  encouraged  and  incited  to  similar 
oflences.  But  when,  in  the  judgment  of  the 
Elders  and  of  the  Pastor,  proper  satisfaction  shall 
be  made,  by  the  chastisement  of  the  ofTender,  for 
an  example  to  others,  he  may  be  admitted  again  to 
the  communion  of  the  Church."* 

Nothing  can  be  more  unequivocal  or  decisive 
than  this  testimony.  In  the  opinion  not  only  of 
the  writer  of  the  Catechism  before  us,  but  also  of 
the  leading  clergy  of  the  Church  of  England,  who 
sanctioned  it,  and  enjoined  its  general  use,  there 
ought  to  be,  in  every  Church,  besides  the  Pastor, 
a  bench  of  Elders,  or  ecclesiastical  Rulers,  whose 
duty  it  should  be  to  preside  over  the  discipline,  and, 
in  conjunction  with  the  Pastor,  to  receive,  admo- 
nish, suspend,  excommunicate,  and  restore  mem- 
bers,— in  a  manner  precisely  agreeable  to  the  well 
known  practice  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  la 
truth,  Dr.  Nowell  could  scarcely  have  expressed 
in  more  distinct  and  unqualified  terms  his  appro- 
bation of  this  part  of  our  system,  than  in  telling  us, 

*  See  Bishop  Randolph's  Enchiridion  Theologicum. 
Vol.  i.  326,  327.     Third  Edition, 


THE   REFORMERS.  |35 

what,  in  his  judgment,  and  that  of  his  brethren, 
every  well  regulated  Church  ought  to  have. 

Ursinus,  a  learned  German  divine,  contemporary 
with  Luther  and  jMelancihon,  speaks  a  language 
still  more  to  our  purpose.     "  Ministers,"  says  he 
"are  either  immediately  called  of  God,  or  me 
diately,  through  the  instrumentality  of  the  Church 
Of  the  former  class,  were  Prophets  and  Apostles 
Of  the  latter  class  there  are  five  kinds,  viz.  Evan 
gelists.  Bishops,  or  Pastors,  Teachers,  Ruling  El 
ders,  and  Deacons.     Evangelists  are  ministers  ap' 
pointed  to  go  forth  and  preach  the  gospel  to  a  num 
ber  of  Churches.     Bishops,  are  ministers  ordained 
to  preach  the  word  of  God,  and  administer  the  sa- 
craments, in  particular  Churches.     Teachers  are 
ministers  appointed  merely  to  fulfil  the  function  of 
teaching  in  particular  Churches.     Ruling  Elders 
are  ministers  elected  by  the  voice  of  the  Church, 
to  assist  in  conducting  discipline,  and  to  order  a 
variety  of  necessary  matters  in  the  Church.    Dea- 
cons are  ministers  elected  by  the  Church,  to  take 
care  of  the  poor,  and  distribute  alms."* 

In  the  Confession  of  Saxony,  drawn  up  by  Me- 
lancthon,  in  1551,  and  subscribed  by  a  large  num- 
ber of  Lutheran  divines  and  Churches,  we  find  this 
class  of  officers  recognised,  and  represented  as  in 
use  in  those  Churches.  Speaking  of  the  exercise 
of  discipline,  in  its  various  branches,  they  say: 
♦'  That  these  things  may  be  done  orderly,  there  be 
also  Consistories  appointed  in  our  Churches."  Of 
these  Consistories,  a  majority  of  members,  it  is 
well  known,  were  Ruling  Elders. 

Szegeden,  a  very  eminent  Lutheran  divine,  of 
Hungary,  contemporary  with  Luther,  also  speaks 

*  Ursini  Corpus  Doctrinse.  Par.  iii.  p.  721. 


236  TESTIMONY  OF 

very  decisively  of  the  apostolic  institution  of  Rul- 
ing Elders.  The  following  passage  is  sufficient  to 
exiiibit  his  sentiments.  "  The  ancient  Church  had 
Presbyters,  or  Elders,  of  which  the  Apostle  speaks, 
1  Corinth,  v.  4.  And  these  Elders  were  of  two 
kinds.  One  class  of  them  preached  the  gospel, 
administered  the  sacraments,  and  governed  the 
Church,  the  same  as  Bishops  ;  for  Bishops  and 
Presbyters  are  the  same  order.  But  another  class 
of  Elders  consisted  of  grave  and  upright  men,  taken 
from  among  the  laity,  who,  tojrether  with  the 
preaching  Elders  before  mentioned,  consulted  re- 
specting the  affairs  of  the  Church,  and  devoted 
their  labour  to  admonishing,  correcting,  and  taking 
care  of  the  flock  of  Christ."* 

The  Magdeburgh  Centuriators,  who  were  emi- 
nently learned  Lutheran  divines,  contemporary  with 
Melancthon,  and  who  have  been  regarded,  for  three 
hundred  years,  as  among  the  highest  authorities 
on  questions  of  ecclesiastical  history,  speak  in  the 
following  decisive  terms  with  regard  to  the  office 
in  question.  And  although  the  extract  has  been 
given  in  a  former  page;  yet,  as  it  is  brief  and 
pointed,  it  may  not  be  improper  to  assign  it  a 
place  in  this  connexion.  Speaking  of  the  third 
century,  they  say:  "The  right  of  deciding  re- 
specting such  as  were  to  be  excommunicated,  or 
of  receiving,  upon  their  repentance,  such  as  had 
fallen,  was  vested  in  the  Elders  of  the  ('hurch."t 

The  learned  Francis  Junius,  a  distinguished  di- 
vine and  professor  of  Theology  of  the  Church  of 
Holland,  who  lived  at  the  commencement  of  the 

*  Szegredeni  Loci  Communes,  p.  197.  Edit,  quint,  folio — 
Basil,  1608. 

t  Cent.  iii.  cap.  vii.  p.  151. 


THE   REFORMERS.  137 

Reformation  in  that  country,  and  was,  of  course, 
contemporary  with  iNIartyr,  Bucer,  Melancihon, 
&c.,  wrote  very  fully  and  explicitly  in  favour  of 
the  office  of  Ruling  Elder.  In  his  work  entitled 
Ecclesiastic!,  he  decisively,  and  with  g^reat  learn- 
ing, maintains,  that  Pastors,  Ruling  Elders,  and 
Deacons,  are  the  only  three  spiritual  orders  of 
Church  officers;  that  Pastors,  or  ministers  of  the 
word  and  sacraments,  are  the  highest  order,  and, 
of  course,  are  invested  with  the  power  of  ordain- 
ing; that  the  second  class,  are  men  of  distinguish- 
ed piety  and  prudence,  chosen  from  among  the 
members  of  the  Church,  to  assist  the  Pastor  in  the 
government  of  the  Church;  and  that  the  Deacons 
are  appointed  to  collect  and  distribute  the  alms  of 
the  Church.  He  affirms  that  these  three  orders 
are  set  forth  in  Scripture,  and  existed  in  the  primi- 
tive Church  :  and  that  the  disuse  of  Ruling  Elders, 
as  well  as  the  introduction  of  Prelacy,  is  a  de- 
parture from  the  primitive  model.* 

The  Protestant  Churches  of  Hungary  and  Tran- 
sylvania, although,  in  organizing  their  Churches, 
they  did  not  actually  adopt  and  introduce  the 
office  of  Ruling  Elder;  yet  in  the  Preface,  and 
other  statements,  published  with  their  ecclesiasti- 
cal Formularies,  they  spoke,  in  the  most  unequi- 
vocal terms,  both  of  the  value,  and  the  early  origin 
of  this  class  of  officers.  The  following  extract 
may  be  considered  as  a  fair  specimen  of  their  testi- 
mony on  this  subject.  "  Most  other  nations,  be- 
longing to  the  Evangelical  Confession,  have  been 
in  the  habit  of  choosing  and  constituting  Elders,  in 
every  village  and  city,  agreeably  to  the  practice  of 

*  Ecclesia?tici,  sive  de  nat.  et  administrat.  Ecclesice,  &c. 
Lib.  ii.  Cap.  2,  3,  4. 


138  TESTIMOXY   OF 

the  Old  Church,  and  also  of  the  New  Testament: 

men  sound  in  the  faith,  blameless,  the  husbands  of 
one  wife,  having  faithful  children,  chargeable  with 
no  crime,  grave,  prudent,  &c. — It  is  made  the  of- 
ficial duty  of  these  men  dilizenily  to  watch  over  the 
lives  and  conversation  of  all  the  members  of  the 
Church,  to  rebuke  the  dissolute,  and,  if  need  be, 
to  refer  their  cases  to  the  Pastors  and  to  the  whole 
Eldership,  <tc."  Here  they  make  a  clear  distinc- 
tion between  these  Elders  and  the  Pastors,  of  the 
Churches,  and  represent  the  former  as  assistants 
to  the  latter  in  the  spiritual  concerns  of  the  Church. 
They  then  proceed  to  state  why  a  class  of  officers, 
so  useful,  in  most  cases  so  necessarv,  and  which 
they  also  considered  as  having  existed  in  ihe  apos- 
tolic Church,  was  not  received  amongr  them.* 

The  character  of  Jerome  Zanchius,  a  learned 
divine  of  Italy,  of  the  sixteenth  century,  who 
greatly  distinguished  himself  among  the  Refor- 
mers, is  so  well  known,  that  a  detailed  account  of 
his  great  accomplishments  and  reputation  is  unne- 
cessary. On  the  subject  before  us,  he  speaks  thus : 
"  The  whole  ministry  of  the  Christian  Church 
may  be  divided  into  three  classes.  The  first  con- 
sists of  those  who  dispense  the  word  and  sacra- 
ments, corresponding  with  those  who,  under  the 
Old  Testament,  were  called  Priests  and  Levites; 
and  under  the  New  Testament,  Apostles,  Pastors, 
and  Teachers.  The  second  consists  of  those 
whose  peculiar  office  it  is  to  take  care  of  the  dis- 
cipline of  the  Church,  to  inspect  the  lives  and  con- 
versation of  all,  and  to  take  care  that  all  live  in  a 
manner  becoming  Christians;  and  also,  if  at  any 
time  there  should  be  a  necessity  for  it,  in  the 

*  See  G.  Voetii  Polit.  Eccles.  Par.  ii.  Lib.  iL  Tract  iii. 


THE   REFORMERS.  139 

sence  of  the  Pastor,  to  instruct  the  people.  There 
were  such  under  the  Old  Testament  in  the  Syna- 
gogue; and  such  also  were  the  Senators  who  were 
added  to  the  bishop  in  the  administration  of  the 
New  Testament  Church.  These  officers  are  styled 
Presbyters,  [Fresbyteri,)  and  Elders,  [Seniores,) 
of  which  the  Apostle  speaks,  besides  other  places, 
in  1  Timothy  v.  17;  "Let  the  Elders  that  rule 
well  be  counted  worthy  of  double  honour,  espe- 
cially those  who  labour  in  the  word  and  doctrine." 
In  this  passage  the  Apostle  manifesdy  speaks  of 
two  sorts  or  classes  of  Elders,  as  he  was  under- 
stood by  Ambrose  and  others,  among  the  ancients, 
and  by  almost  all  our  modern  Protestant  Divines, 
as  BuUinger,  Peter  Martyr,  &c.  &:c.* 

The  most  cursory  reader  of  this  extract  will  not 
fail  to  take  notice,  not  only  that  Zanchius  evidently 
approved  of  this  office,  but  that  he  thought  it  of 
Divine  appointment;  tliat  he  interpreted  as  we  do 
the  famous  passage  in  Ambrose,  which  the  oppo- 
sers  of  Ruling  Elders  have  expended  so  much  in- 
genuity in  labouring  to  explain  away;  and  that  he 
considered  almost  all  the  Reformed  Divines  as 
being  of  the  same  opinion  with  himself. 

The  high  reputation  of  Paraeus,  a  learned  and 
pious  German  divine,  contemporary  with  Melanc- 
thon  and  Zanchius,  is  also  well  known.  His  tes- 
timony respecting  the  office  under  consideration  is 
very  explicit.  In  his  Commentary  on  Romans  xii. 
8,  he  observes :  "  Here  the  Apostle  understands 
the  function  of  that  class  of  Elders,  who,  united 
with  the  Pastors,  watch  over  and  correct  the  morals 
and  discipline  of  the  Church.     For  there  were  two 

*  Zanchii  Opera.  Tom.  iv.  In  Quartum  Prseceptum, 
p.  727. 


¥0 


TESTIMONY   OF 


classes  of  Elders,  as  may  be  gathered  from  1  Ti- 
mothy V.  17.  Some  who  laboured  in  the  word 
and  doctrhie,  who  were  to  be  accounted  worthy  of 
double  honour;  such  as  Teachers,  Pastors,  or 
Bishops;  the  others,  such  as  laboured  in  conducting 
discipline,  who  are  here  called  governments."  And 
in  his  Commentary  on  1  Corinthians  xii.  28,  he 
says  :  "  The  Apostle  here,  undoubtedly  speaks  of 
the  Elders  who  presided  in  the  administration  of 
discipline.  For  the  primitive  Church  had  its  Se- 
nate, who  attended  to  the  morals  of  the  congrega- 
tion, while  the  Apostles  and  Teachers  were  left  at 
leisure  to  preach.  This  the  Apostle  indicates  very 
clearly  in  the  first  Epistle  to  'i'imolhy  v.  17,  where 
two  classes  of  Presbyters  are  represented  as  con- 
stituted. The  governments  here  spoken  of  were 
not  of  Princes  or  Praetors,  armed  with  the  sword, 
but  grave,  experienced  men,  exercising  authority 
over  others,  chosen  out  of  the  Church,  by  the  con- 
sent of  the  Church,  to  assist  the  Pastors  in  con- 
ducting discipline,  and  to  alleviate  their  burdens." 

The  celebrated  Piscator,  who  held  a  distin- 
guished place  among  the  divines  who  adorned  Ger- 
many, and  maintained  the  Protestant  cause,  in  the 
sixteenth  century,  is  equally  decisive,  as  an  advo- 
cate of  the  office  under  consideration.  In  his  Com- 
mentary on  1  Tim.  v.  17,  he  says:  *'  The  Apostle 
distributes  Elders  into  two  classes,  those  who  pre- 
side in  maintaining  ecclesiastical  discipline,  but  did 
not  publicly  teach;  and  those  who  both  taught, 
and  co-operated  in  ruling,  and  were  therefore  wor- 
thy of  a  great  honour,  and  a  more  liberal  support 
than  the  others." 

Few  ministers  of  the  Church  of  England,  during 
the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  were  more  distin- 
guished for  talents,  learning,  and  piety,  than  Tho- 


THE    REFORMERS.  \^\ 

mas  Cartwright,  Professor  of  Divinity  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Cambridge,  the  opponent  of  the  high 
prelatical  claims  of  Archbishop  Whitgift,  and  con- 
cerning whom  the  celebrated  Beza  pronounced, 
that  he  thought  "the  sun  did  not  shine  upon  a 
more  learned  man."  This  eminent  divine,  com- 
menting on  Matthew  xviii.  17,  "Tell  it  unto  the 
Church,"  (tc,  thus  remarks  :  "  Theophylact  upon 
this  place,  interpreteth.  Tell  the  Church,  that  is 
many,  because  this  assembly  taketh  knowledge  of 
this  and  other  things,  by  their  mouths,  that  is, 
their  governors.  Chrysostom  also  saith,  that  to 
tell  the  Church  is  to  tell  the  governors  thereof.  It 
is,  therefore,  to  be  understood,  that  these  governors 
of  the  Church,  which  were  set  over  every  several 
assembly  in  the  time  of  the  law,  were  of  two  sorts; 
for  some  had  the  handling  of  the  word ;  some  other 
watching  against  the  offences  of  the  Church,  did, 
by  common  counsel  with  the  ministers  of  the  word, 
take  order  against  the  same.  Those  governing 
Elders  are  divers  times  in  the  story  of  the  gospel 
made  mention  of,  under  the  title  of  '  Rulers  of  the 
Synagogue.'  And  this  manner  of  government, 
because  it  was  to  be  translated  into  the  Church  of 
Christ,  under  the  gospel,  our  Saviour,  by  the  order 
at  that  time  used  among  the  Jews,  declareth  what 
after  should  be  done  in  his  Church.  Agreeably 
hereunto  the  Apostle  both  declared  the  Lord's  ordi- 
nance in  his  behalf,  and  put  the  same  in  practice, 
in  ordaining  to  every  several  Church,  beside  the 
ministry  of  the  word,  certain  of  the  chiefest  men 
which  should  assist  the  work  of  the  Lord's  build- 
ing. This  was  also  faithfully  practised  of  the 
Churches  after  the  Apostle's  limes,  as  long  as  they 
remained  in  any  good  and  allowable  soundness  of 
doctrine.     And  being  fallen  from  the  Churches, 


142  TESTIMONY    OF 

especially  from  certain  of  them,  the  want  thereof 
is  sharply  and  bitterly  cast  into  the  teeth  of  the 
Church's  teachers,  by  whose  ambition  that  came 
to  pass."*  And  as  proof  of  this,  the  author  quotes 
in  the  margin  that  very  passage  of  Ambrose,  cited 
in  the  preceding  section,  and  which  has  always 
given  so  much  trouble  to  Prelatists  and  Independ- 
ents. 

The  same  writer,  in  his  Second  Reply  to  Whit- 
gift,  speaking  of  the  class  of  Elders  under  consi- 
deration, expresses  himself  thus: — For  proof  of 
these  Church  Elders,  which,  being  occupied  in  the 
government,  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  Word,  the 
testimony  of  Ambrose,  is  so  clear  and  open,  that 
he  which  doth  not  give  place  unto  it,  must  needs 
be  thought  as  a  bat,  or  an  owl,  or  some  other 
night-bird,  to  delight  in  darkness.  His  saying  is, 
that  the  Elders  fell  away  by  the  ambition  of  the 
Doctors ;  whereby  opposing  the  Elders  to  Doc- 
tors, which  taught,  he  plainly  declareth,  that  they 
had  not  to  do  with  the  Word  :  whereupon  it  is  ma- 
nifest that  it  was  the  use,  in  the  best  reformed 
Churches,  certain  hundred  years  after  the  times  of 
the  Apostles,  to  have  an  Eldership  which  meddled 
not  with  the  word,  nor  administration  of  sacra- 
ments.t 

The  testimony  of  the  Rev.  Richard  Greenham, 
a  divine  of  the  Church  of  England,  who  flourished 
in  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  and  who  was 
greatly  revered  both  for  his  learning  and  piety,  is 
very  unequivocal  and  pointed  on  this  subject.  It 
is  in  these  words : — The  Apostle  St.  Paul,  doth 

*  Cartwright's  Commentary  on  the  New  Testament — 
Against  the  Rhemists. 
+  Second  Reply.  Part  Second,  p.  44.  4to.  1577. 


THE  REFORMERS.  143 

notably  amplify  the  honour  due  to  the  true  and  faith- 
ful minister.  "  The  Elders  that  rule  well,  (sailh 
he,)  let  them  be  had  in  double  honour,  specially 
they  which  labour  in  the  word  and  doctrine ;" 
1  Timothy  v.  17.  As  if  he  should  say,  let  those 
Elders  which  are  appointed  to  watch  and  look  to 
the  manners  and  behaviour  of  the  children  of  God, 
if  hey  execute  this  charge  faithfully,  be  had  in 
double  honour:  but  above  all,  let  the  faithful  mi- 
nisters, such  as  labour  in  the  word,  be  honoured : 
for  why?  the  other  are  overseers  of  your  outward 
behaviour,  but  these  have  another  manner  of  office  ; 
they  watch  over  your  souls  which  tendeth  to  the 
salvation  both  of  body  and  soul."  And  again: 
"  The  rulers  of  the  Church  are  called  the  Church, 
to  whom  discipline  appertaineth.  Not  the  whole 
company  of  the  Jews,  but  the  rulers  of  the  Syna- 
gogue, are  called  the  Church  of  the  Jews.* 

The  celebrated  Estius,  the  learned  Popish  ex- 
positor and  Professor  at  Douay,  in  his  Commen- 
tary on  1  Tim.  v.  17,  delivers  the  following  opi- 
nion : — From  this  passage  it  may  manifestly  be 
gathered  that,  in  the  time  of  the  Apostles,  there 
were  certain  Presbyters  in  the  Church  who  ruled 
well,  and  were  worthy  of  double  honour,  and  who 
yet  did  not  labour  in  the  word  and  doctrine ;  neither 
do  the  heretics  of  the  present  day  (meaning  the 
Protestants)  deny  this."  And,  in  speaking  of  the 
establishment  of  this  class  of  Elders  in  Geneva, 
about  half  a  century  before  he  wrote,  he  seems 
only  to  blame  Calvin  for  considering  and  styling 
them  laymen.  He  expresses  a  decisive  opinion, 
that  the  Elders  spoken  of  by  Paul,  in  this  place, 
were  ecclesiastical  men,  set  apart  by  ecclesiastical 

*  Works,  p.  352.  842.  fol.  1612. 


144  TESTIMONY   OF 

rites,  and  devoted  to  ecclesiastical  duties ;  but  they 
did  not  preach.  And  he  explicitly  acknowledges 
that  Ambrose,  in  the  fourth  century,  speaks  of  such 
Elders  as  having  existed  long  before  his  day.  It 
is  worthy  of  remark,  that  the  same  learned  Ro- 
manist in  another  work,  not  only  avows,  in  the 
most  distinct  manner,  his  belief  in  the  apostolic 
appointment  of  non-preaching  Elders,  and  quotes 
1  Tim.  v.  17,  in  support  of  his  opinion;  but  he 
also  refers  to  Jerome  and  Augustine,  as  witnesses 
to  the  same  fact.* 

The  opinion  of  the  learned  Professor  Whitaker, 
a  divine  of  the  Church  of  England,  who  flourished 
in  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  as  to  the  true 
meaning  of  1  Timothy  v.  17,  was  given,  at  length, 
in  a  preceding  page.  The  same  distinguished  di- 
vine, in  writing  against  Dury,  expresses  himself 
thus,  concerning  the  office  under  consideration. 
"  Art  thou  so  ignorant  as  not  to  know  that  in  the 
Church  of  Christ  there  ought  to  be  Elders  who 
should  devote  themselves  to  the  work  of  govern- 
ment alone,  and  not  to  the  administration  of  the 
word  or  sacraments,  as  we  are  taught  in  1  Tim. 
v.  17?"t 

To  these  testimonies  might  be  added  many  more, 
from  learned  men  of  the  same  distinguished  charac- 
ter with  those  already  mentioned,  and  lo  the  same 
effect.  Chemnitius,  of  Germany;  Salmasius,  of 
Holland  ;  Marloratus,  and  Danaeus,  of  France ; 
Hemmingius,  of  Denmark,^ — with  a  long  list  of 

*  Estii  Sententiarum  Commcntaria.  Lib.  iv.  Par.  2.  Sect. 
21. 

t  Contra  Dureeum,  Lib.  ix.  p.  807. 

}  See  these  writers,  as  well  as  a  number  of  others,  re- 
ferred to  in  the  PoliticoB  Ecclcsiasticae  of  Voetius.  Par.  ii. 
Lib.  ii.  Tract,  iii. 


THE   REFORMERS.  ]  45 

similar  names,  might  all  be  cited  as  warm  advo- 
cates of  the  class  of  Elders  under  consideration, 
and  almost  all  of  them  decisive  advocates  of  its 
divine  authority. 

Nor  are  these  individual  suffrages,  though  nu- 
merous and  unequivocal,  all  that  can  be  alleged  in 
favour  of  our  cause.  The  great  body  of  the  Pro- 
testant Churches,  when  they  came  to  organize  their 
several  systems  in  a  state  of  separation  from  the 
Papacy,  and  from  each  other,  differing,  as  they 
did,  in  many  other  respects,  were  almost  unani- 
mous in  adopting  and  maintaining  the  office  of 
Ruling  Elder.  Instead  of  this  office  being  confined, 
as  many  appear  to  suppose,  to  the  ecclesiastical 
establishments  of  Geneva  and  Scotland,  it  was  ge- 
nerally introduced,  with  the  Reformation,  by  Lu- 
therans as  well  as  Calvinists;  and  is  generally  re- 
tained to  the  present  day,  in  almost  all  the  Pro- 
testantChurches, excepting  that  of  England.  'J'hose 
of  France,  Germany,  Holland,  Switzerland,  &c., 
received  this  class  of  Elders  early,  and  expressly 
represented  them  in  their  public  Confessions,  as 
founded  on  the  word  of  God.  It  is  probably  safe 
to  affirm,  that,  at  the  period  of  the  Reformation, 
more  than  three-fourths  of  the  whole  Protestant 
world  declared  in  favour  of  this  office,  not  merely 
as  expedient  but  as  warranted  by  Scripture,  and 
as  necessary  to  the  order  and  edification  of  the 
Church. 

Does  all  this,  it  may  be  confidently  asked,  look 
like  the  olhce  in  question  being  a  mere  Genevan 
innovation?  How  shall  we  reconcile  with  this  ex- 
traordinary position,  the  undoubted  fact,  that  Lu- 
therans and  Reformed,  in  every  part  of  Europe ; 
those  who  never  saw  Calvin  as  well  as  those  who 
were  within  the  sphere  of  his  acquaintance  and  in- 


146  TESTIMONY   OF 

fliience;  nay,  some  of  tliose  who  died  before  the 
illustrious  Reformer  of  Geneva  ever  appeared  at 
all,  either  as  a  writer  or  preacher; — are  found 
among  the  decisive,  zealous  advocates  of  the  office 
in  question,  and  quoting,  as  of  conclusive  authority, 
in  its  favour,  the  principal  passages  of  Scripture, 
and  the  principal  Father,  relied  on  by  Presbyterians 
to  establish  its  Apostolical  warrant,  and  its  actual 
existence  in  the  early  ages  of  the  ancient  Church? 
Truly,  it  is  difficult  to  conceive  how  any  one,  who 
seriously  and  impartially  weighs  these  facts,  can 
resist  the  impression,  that  an  Institution,  in  behalf 
of  which  so  many  eminently  learned  and  pious 
men,  of  diff'erent  and  distant  countries,  without 
concert  with  each  other,  and  without  any  common 
interest  to  serve,  in  reference  to  this  matter,  have 
so  remarkably  concurred  in  opinion,  must  have 
some  solid  foundation,  both  in  the  inspired  volume, 
and  in  the  nature  and  necessities  of  the  Church. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

TESTIMONY    OF    EMINENT    DIVINES    SINCE    THE    TIME    OF 
THE   REFORMERS. 

While  we  justly  attach  so  much  importance  to 
the  persons  and  services  of  the  Reformers,  and  re- 
cur with  the  deepest  reverence  to  their  opinions, 
we  owe  scarcely  less  respect  to  the  judgment  of  a 
number  of  other  men,  who  have  lived  since  their 
time,  and  of  whom  the  world  was  not  worthy. 
Men  whose  testimony  can  never  be  quoted  but 
with  veneration,  and  whose  characters  give  an 
ample  pledge  of  research  at  once  profound  and 


LATER   DIVINES.  J 47 

honest.  To  the  decision  of  a  few  of  these  ilhis- 
trious  men  on  the  subject  before  us,  the  attention 
of  the  reader  is  respecifuUy  requested. 

The  decisive  opinion  of  Dr.  Owen,  undoubtedly- 
one  of  the  greatest  divines  that  ever  adorned  the 
Britisli  nation,  in  favour  of  the  scriptural  warrant 
of  the  othce  of  Ruling  Elder,  was  given  in  a  pre- 
ceding section,  and  need  not  now  be  repeated.  I 
may,  however,  add,  that  the  more  weight  ought  to 
be  attached  to  this  opinion  on  account  of  Dr.  Owen's 
ecclesiastical  connexions,  which,  as  is  well  known, 
were  by  no  means  adapted  to  give  him  a  bias  on 
the  side  of  Presbyterian  order. 

The  venerable  and  eminently  pious  Richard  Bax- 
ter, was  no  Presbyterian.  Yet  he  expresses  him- 
self in  the  following  very  unequivocal  language, 
on  the  subject  under  consideration.  When  I  plead, 
that  the  order  of  subject  Presbyters,  (or  lay-Elders,) 
was  not  instituted  in  Scripture  times,  and  conse- 
quently that  it  is  not  of  divine  institution,  1  mean, 
that,  as  a  distinct  office,  or  species  of  Church 
ministers,  it  is  not  a  divine  institution,  nor,  a  law- 
ful institution  of  man  ;  but  that,  among  men  in  the 
same  office,  some  might,  prudentially,  be  chosen 
to  an  eminency  of  degree,  as  to  the  exercise;  and 
that  according  to  the  difference  of  their  advantages, 
there  might  be  a  disparity  in  the  use  of  their 
authority  and  gifts,  I  think  was  done  in  Scripture 
times,  and  might  have  been  after,  if  it  had  not  then. 
And  my  judgment  is,  that,  ordinarily,  every  par- 
ticular Church  (such  as  our  parish  Churches  are) 
had  more  Elders  than  one,  but  not  such  store  of 
men  of  eminent  gifts,  as  that  all  these  Elders  could 
be  such.  But  as  if  half  a  dozen  of  the  most  judi- 
cious persons  of  this  parish  were  ordained  to  be 
Elders,  of  the  same  office  with  myself;  but  be- 


148  TESTIMONY    OF 

cause  ihey  are  not  equally  fit  for  public  preaching, 
should  most  employ  themselves  in  the  rest  of  the 
oversight,  consenting  that  the  public  preaching  lie 
most  upon  me,  and  that  I  be  the  moderator  of  them, 
for  order  in  circumstantials.  This  I  think  was 
the  true  Episcopacy  and  Presbytery  of  the  first 
times."* 

Although  it  may  be  doubted  whether  this  vene- 
rable man  be  correct  in  liis  whole  view  of  this 
subject;  yet  it  will  be  observed  by  every  attentive 
reader,  that  in  maintaining  the  existence  of  a  plu- 
rality of  Elders  in  each  Church,  in  primitive  times, 
and  that  a  great  part  of  these  Elders  were  not,  in 
fact,  employed  in  preaching,  but  in  inspecting  and 
ruling,  he  concedes  every  thing  that  can  be  deemed 
essential  in  relation  to  the  office  which  we  are 
considering. 

The  Puritan  Congregationalists  of  England, 
about  the  year  1605,  in  the  summary  of  tlieir 
Faith  and  Order,  entitled,  English  Puritanism, 
drawn  up  by  the  venerable  Mr.  Bradshaw,  trans- 
lated into  Latin  for  the  benefit  of  the  foreign  Pro- 
testants, by  the  learned  Dr.  Ames,  and  intended 
to  express  the  sense  of  the  general  body  of  the 
Puritans,  speak  thus  on  the  subject  of  Ruling 
Elders. 

"  Since  even  in  the  best  constituted  Churches, 
they  know  that  not  a  few  enormous  offences  will 
arise,  which,  if  not  timely  met,  will  do  injury  both 
to  those  who  believe,  and  those  who  are  inquiring; 
while,  at  the  same  time,  they  see  that  the  authority 
of  a  single  person  in  a  parish,  resembling  the  papal, 
is  contrary  to  the  will  of  Christ ;  they  think,  as  the 

*  Disputations  of  Church  Government. — Advertisement, 
p.  4,  5.  4to.  1659. 


LATER   DIVINES.  J^Q 

case  itself  requires,  and  as  appointed  of  God,  that 
others  also  should  be  selected  from  the  Church,  as 
officers,  who  may  be  associated  with  the  ministers 
in  the  spiritual  government." 

"These  are  inspectors,  vririfAn^cu,  a  kind  of  cen- 
sors, whose  duty  it  is,  together  with  the  ministers 
of  the  word,  as  well  to  watch  over  the  conduct  of 
all  the  brethren,  as  to  judge  between  them.  And 
they  think,  that  this  office  is  instituted,  that  each 
may  take  the  more  heed  to  himself  and  his  ways, 
while  the  ministers  enjoy  more  leisure  for  study 
and  devotion,  and  obtain,  through  the  assistance  of 
their  co-adjutors,  a  more  accurate  view  of  the  state 
of  the  flock  ;  since  it  is  the  peculiar  duty  of  the 
inspectors  to  be  always  watchful  over  the  manners 
and  conduct  of  all  the  members  of  the  Church." 

*'  To  this  office  they  think  that  none  should  be 
preferred,  but  men  very  eminent  for  gravity  and 
prudence,  established  in  the  faith  ;  of  tried  integ- 
rity ;  whose  sanctity  of  life  and  upright  example 
are  well  known  to  the  whole  society." 

In  the  choice  of  these  Elders,  respect  should 
always  be  had  to  their  outward  circumstances. 
They  should  be  able  to  support  themselves  in  some 
respectable  manner;  though  it  will  not  be  an  ob- 
jection to  them  that  they  pursue  some  mechanical 
art,  provided  they  be  morally  qualified."* 

Nor  were  these  venerable  men  the  only  Indepen- 
dents who  declared,  in  the  most  decisive  manner,  in 
favour  of  this  class  of  officers.  The  celebrated  Dr. 
Thomas  Goodwin,  one  of  the  Westminster  Assem- 
bly of  divines,  and  who  is  styled  by  Anthony  A. 
Wood,  a  very  *'  Atlas  and  Patriarch  of  Indepen- 

*  Neal's  History  of  the  Puritans,  Vol.  i.  p.  449.  4to. 
Edit. 

13 


J  50  TESTIMONY    OF 

dency,"  is  well  known  to  have  been  one  of  the 
most  learned  and  influential  Independents  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  and  one  of  the  most  volu- 
minous and  instructive  writers  of  his  class.  In 
his  "  Church  Order  Explained,  in  a  way  of  Cate- 
chism," the  following  passage  occurs:  "What 
sort  of  Bisfiops  iiath  God  set  in  his  Church?" 
Answer,  Two  ;  some  Pastors  and  Teachers  ;  some 
Ruling  Elders,  under  two  heads;  some  labour  in 
word  and  doctrine,  and  of  those,  some  are  Pastors, 
some  Teachers  ;  others  rule  only^  and  labour  not 
in  the  word  and  doctrine." — Again;  what  is  the 
office  and  work  of  the  Ruling  Elder?  Answer, 
seeing  the  kingdom  of  God  is  not  of  this  world, 
but  heavenly  and  spiritual,  and  the  government  of 
his  kingdom  is  not  lordly,  butstewardly  and  minis- 
terial; and  to  labour  in  the  ministry  of  exhortation 
and  doctrine  is  the  proper  work  of  the  Pastors  and 
Teachers  ;  it  remainelh,  therefore,  to  be  the  office 
and  work  of  the  Ruling  Elders  to  assist  the  Pastors 
and  Teachers  in  diligent  attendance  to  all  other 
aids  of  rule  besides  exhortation  and  doctrine,  as 
becometh  good  stewards  of  the  household  of  God. 
As,  first,  to  open  and  shut  the  doors  of  God's 
house,  by  admission  of  members,  by  ordination  of 
officers,  by  excommunication  of  notorious  and  ob- 
stinate offenders.  Secondly,  to  see  that  none  live 
in  the  Church  inordinately,  without  a  calling,  or 
idle  in  their  calling.  'J'hirdly,  to  prevent  and  heal 
offences,  whether  in  life  or  doctrine,  that  might 
corrupt  their  own  CJhurch,  or  other  Churches. 
Fourthly,  to  prepare  matters  for  the  Church's  con- 
sideration, and  to  moderate  the  carriage  of  all  mat- 
ters in  the  Church  assemblies.  Finally,  to  feed 
the  flock  of  God,  by  a  word  of  admonition,  and,  as 
they  shall  be  called,  to  visit  and  pray  with   their 


LATER  DIVINES.  J  5  J 

sick  brethren.    The  ground  of  all  this  is  laid  down 
in  Romans,  xii.  8,  where  the  Apostle,  besides  him 
who  exhorteth  and  teacheth,  niaketh  mention  of 
another  officer,  who  ruleth  with  diligence,  and  is 
distinct  from  the  Pastors  and  Teachers,  and  that  is 
the  sum  of  his  work,  to  rule  with  diligence.    Thus 
you  see  the  whole  duty  of  these  Ruling  Elders,  and 
how  they  are  to  assist  the  Pastors  and  Teachers  in 
all  other  acts  of  rule  besides  word  and  doctrine. 
Use  1.  From  hence  observe  the  great  bounty  of 
God  unto  Pastors  and  Teachers,  that  God  hath  not 
left  them  alone    in  the  Church,  as  Martha  com- 
plains to  Christ  that  Mary  had   left  her  alone  to 
serve:  the  ministers  of  the  Church  have  no  such 
cause  to  complain  :  for,  as  he  gave  the  Levites  to 
the  Priests,  to  help  them  in  their  service,  so  hath 
he  given  Ruling  Elders  to  such  as  labour  in  the 
word  and  doctrine,  that  they  might  have  assistance 
from  them  in  ruling  the  Church  of  God.     Use  2. 
It  may  serve  to  answer  a  cavil  that  some  have 
against  this  office,  who  say,  that,  if  God  hath  given 
these  officers  to  the  Church,  he  would   then  liave 
set  down  the  limits  of  these  officers,  and  not  have 
sent  them  forth  with  illimiled  power.     To  which 
it  is  answered,  that  their  power  is  strongly  limited, 
as  a  stewardly  or  ministerial  power  and  office.     It 
is  the  power  of  the   keys,  which  Christ  hath  ex- 
pressed in  his  word,  and  it  consistelh  in  those 
things  that  have  been  spoken  of  God's  house,  to 
open  and  shut  the  doors  of  God's  house,  by  ad- 
mission of  members,  &c.     This  is  such  a  rule  as 
is  no  small  help  to  the  spirits  and  hearts  of  those 
who  labour  in  doctrine  ;  and  no   small  help  it  is 
also  to  the  whole  Churcli  of  God  ;  and  when  they 
are  wanting,   many   evils   will   grow,  and   those 
without  the  possibility  of  redress  and  amendment, 


]52  TESTIMONY   OF 

much  idleness,  much  confusion,  many  offences. 
Though  other  ministers  have  been  in  tlie  Church, 
we  may  see  how  much,  in  the  want  of  these  ofTi- 
cers,  the  (Jhurches  have  been  corrupted."*' 

The  character  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Hooker,  one 
of  tlie  most  learned  and  pious  Fathers  of  New 
Enghind,  and  a  distinguished  advocate  of  Indepen- 
dency, is  too  well  known  to  require  remark.  In 
his  work,  entitled  "  A  Survey  of  Church  Disci- 
pline," (fee,  he  speaks  thus  of  the  office  under 
consideration :  "  We  begin  with  the  Ruling  Eider's 
place,  for  that  carries  a  kind  of  simplicity  with  it. 
There  be  more  ingredients  required  to  make  up  the 
office  of  Pastor  and  Doctor,  and  therefore  we  shall 
take  leave  to  trade  in  the  first,  quo  simpHcius  ac 
prius.  That  there  is  such  an  office  and  ofilcer  ap- 
pointed by  Christ,  as  the  Scriptures  are  plain  to 
him,  whose  spirit  and  apprehension  is  not  pos- 
sessed and  forestalled  with  prejudice.  The  first 
argument  we  have  from  Romans  xii.  7,  which 
gives  in  witness  to  this  truth,  where  all  these  offi- 
cers are  numbered  and  named  expressly.  The 
second  argument  is  taken  from  1  Cor.  xii.  28. 
The  scope  of  the  place,  and  Apostle's  intendment 
is,  to  lay  open  the  several  offices  and  officers  that 
the  Lord  hath  set  in  his  Church,  and  so  many  chief 
members,  out  of  which  the  (Jhurch  is  constituted 
as  an  entire  body."  And,  after  making  some 
other  remarks  for  the  right  discovery  of  the  Apos- 
tle's proceeding  and  purpose,  he  adds:  "From 
which  premises,  the  dispute  issues  thus.  As 
Apostles,  Prophets,  and  Teachers  are  distinct,  so 

*  Church  Order  Explained,  &-c.,  page  16,  19,  22,  to  be 
found  in  the  4th  Vol.  of  his  Works,  four  vols.  fol.  London, 
1697. 


LATER   DIVINES.  253 

are  Helps  and  Governments  distinct :  for  the  Spirit 
puts  ihem  in  the  same  ranks,  as  having  a  parity  of 
reason  which  appertains  to  them  all.  But  they 
were  distinct  offices,  and  found  in  persons  as  dis- 
tinct officers,  as  verse  30,  Are  all  Apostles  ?  Are 
all  Teachers?  Therefore,  the  same  is  true  of  Go- 
vernors. A  third  argument  is  taken  from  the  fa- 
mous place,  1  Timothy  v.  17,  which  is  full  to  our 
purpose  in  hand,  and  intended  by  the  Holy  Spirit 
of  the  Lord,  to  make  evident  the  station  and  office 
of  Ruling  Elders,  unto  the  end  of  the  world."* 

The  praise  of  the  Rev.  John  Cotton,  one  of  the 
most  disiinguished  of  the  first  ministers  of  New 
England,  was  in  all  the  Churches,  in  his  time. 
In  a  small  work;  entitled  "  Questions  and  Answers 
on  Church  Government,  begun  25th  November, 
1634,"  the  following  passages  occur.  "  Quest. 
What  sorts  of  ministers  or  officers  hath  God  set 
in  his  Church?  Jlnswer.  The  ministers  and  offi- 
cers of  the  Church  are  some  of  them  extraordinary, 
as  Aposlles,.Prophets,  Evangelists;  someordinar)'', 
as  Bishops  and  Deacons.  Quest.  What  sorts  of 
Bishops  hath  God  ordained  in  his  Church?  ^^n- 
swer.  There  are  three  sorts  of  them,  according  as 
there  be  three  sorts  of  Elders  in  the  Church,  though 
under  two  heads ;  some  Pastors,  some  Teachers, 
some  Ruling  Elders.  That  is  to  say,  such  Elders 
as  labour  in  the  word  and  doctrine,  and  such  as 
rule  in  the  Church  of  God ;  1  Tim.  i.  13;  1  Cor. 
xii.  28;  Rom.  xii.  7,  8 ;  1  Tim.  v.  17.  Quest, 
What  is  the  work  of  a  Ruling  Elder?  Answer. 
Seeing  the  kingdom  of  Christ  is  not  of  this  world, 
but  heavenly  and  spiritual ;  and  the  government  of 

*  Survey,  &c.,  part  ii.  p.  6.  8.  10. 11.  4to.  London,  1648. 


254  TESTIMONY   OF 

his  kingdom  is  not  lordly,  but  stewardly  and  mi- 
nisterial ;  and  to  hboiir  in  the  administration  of 
exhortation  and  doctrine  is  the  proper  work  of 
Pastor  and  Teacher,  it  remains  to  be  the  office  of 
the  Ruling  Elder  to  assist  the  Pastor  and  Teacher 
in  all  other  acts  of  rule  besides,  as  becomes  good 
stewards  of  the  household  of  God.  And ,  therefore, 
to  put  instances,  as.  First,  To  open  and  shut  the 
doors  of  God's  house,  by  admission  of  members, 
by  ordination  of  officers,  by  excommunication  of 
notorious  and  obstinate  offenders.  Secondly,  To 
see  that  none  live  in  the  Church  inordinately, 
without  a  calling,  or  idly  in  their  calling.  Thirdly, 
To  prevent  or  heal  offences.  Fourthly,  To  pre- 
pare matters  for  the  Church's  consideration,  and  to 
moderate  the  carriage  of  all  things  in  the  Church 
assemblies.  Fifthly,  To  feed  the  flock  of  God 
with  the  word  of  admonition,  and,  as  they  shall  be 
called,  to  visit  and  pray  over  the  sick  brethren."* 
The  venerable  John  Davenport,  it  is  well  known, 
held  a  distinguished  place  among  the  early  lights 
of  the  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  Churches. 
In  a  treatise  entitled  "  The  Power  of  Congrega- 
tional Churches  asserted  and  vitidicaled,  &c.,"  al- 
though his  plin  did  not  require,  or  even  admit, 
that  he  should  treat  expressly  and  at  length  on  the 
officers  of  the  Church  ;  yet  he  repeatedly,  and  in 
the  most  unequivocal  manner  alludes  to  the  office 
of  Ruling  Elder,  as  belonging  to  the  Church  by 
divine  appointment ;  as  altogether  distinct  from  the 
office  of  both  Teaching  Elder  and  Deacon  ;  and  as 

*  A  Treatise,  1.  Of  Faith.  2.  Twelve  Fundamental 
ArticJes  of  Christian  Religion.  3.  A  Doctrinal  Conclu- 
sion. 4.  Questions  and  Answers  on  Church  Government. 
p.  20,  21. 


LATER    DIVIiNES.  155 

being  of  indispensable  importance  to  the  edification 
of  the  Church.* 

Nor  are  these  the  sentiments  of  detached  indi- 
viduals merely.  Tiiey  were  adopted  and  pub- 
lished, about  the  same  time,  by  public  bodies,  in 
the  most  solemn  manner.  In  a  work  entitled, 
"  Church  Government,  and  Church  Covenant  dis- 
cussed, in  an  answer  of  the  Elders  of  the  several 
Churches  of  New  England,  to  two  and  thirty  ques- 
tions sent  over  to  them  by  divers  ministers  in 
England,  to  declare  their  judgment  thereon."  In 
this  treatise,  Ruling  Elders  are  spoken  of,  as  of 
divine  institution,  and  as  actually  existing,  at  the 
lime,  in  the  Churches  of  New  England.  The  fif- 
teenth question  is:  "Whether  do  you  give  the 
exercise  of  all  Church  power  of  government,  to 
the  whole  Church,  or  to  the  Presbyters  thereof 
alone?"  To  which  it  is  answered:  "We  do  be- 
lieve that  Christ  hath  ordained  that  there  should 
be  a  Presbytery  or  Eldership;  1  Tim.  iv.  14;  and 
that  in  every  Church,  Titus  i.  5;  Acts  xiv.  28; 
1  Cor.  xi.  28,  whose  work  is  to  teach  and  rule  the 
Church  by  the  word  and  laws  of  Christ,  1  Tim.  v. 
17,  and  unto  whom,  as  teaching  and  ruling,  all  the 
people  ought  to  be  obedient,  and  submit  them- 
selves ;  Heb.  xiii.  17.  And,  therefore,  a  govern- 
ment merely  popular,  or  democratical,  (which  di- 
vines and  orthodox  writers  do  so  much  condemn, 
in  Morillius,  and  such  like,)  is  far  from  the  prac- 
tice of  these  Churches,  and,  we  believe,  far  from 
the  mind  of  Christ."  The  twenty-third  ques- 
tion is,  "  What  authority  or  eminency  have  your 
preaching  Elders  above  your  sole  Ruling  Elders; 

*  The  Power  of  Congregational  Churches,  &.c.  p.  56. 
81.  94.  115.  12mo.  London,  1672. 


156  TESTIMONY  OF 

or  are  they  both  equal?  Answer.  It  is  not  the 
manner  of  Elders  among  us,  whether  Ruling  only, 
or  Ruling  and  Teaching  also,  to  strive  for  authority 
or  pre-eminence  one  above  another.  As  for  the 
people's  duty  toward  their  Elc^ers,  it  is  taught  them 
plainly  in  that  place,  1  These,  v.  12,  13,  as  also  in 
that  of  1  Tim  v.  17;  and  this  word  (especially) 
shows  them  that,  as  they  are  to  account  all  their 
Elders  worthy  of  double  honour,  so  in  special 
manner  their  Teaching  or  Preaching  Elders."* 

But  there  is  another  testimony  of  the  same  class, 
of  still  higher  authority.  In  a  volume  entitled, 
"  The  Result  of  three  synods,  held  by  the  Elders 
and  Messengers  of  the  Churches  of  Massachusetts 
Province,  New  England,"  there  is  abundant  evi- 
dence to  the  same  effect.  These  Synods  met  in 
1648,  1662,  and  1679:  Each  of  them  was  called 
by  the  General  Court,  or  Legislature  of  the  Pro- 
vince, and  the  results  published  by  the  court,  with 
their  sanction. 

The  Synod  of  1648,  consisting  of  the  divines  of 
Massachusetts  and  Connecticut,  and  which  drew 
up  what  is  commonly  known  as  the  Cambridge 
Platform,  distinctly  recognised  the  office  under 
consideration  as  of  divine  appointment.  It  speaks 
as  follows,  (Chapter  vii.)  "  The  Ruling  Elder's 
office  is  distinct  from  the  office  of  Pastor  and 
Teacher.  Ruling  Elders  are  not  so  called  to  ex- 
clude the  Pastors  and  Teachers  from  ruling;  be- 
cause ruling  and  government  is  common  to  these 
with  the  other:  whereas  attending  to  teach  and 
preach  the  word,  is  peculiar  unto  the  former;  Ro- 
mans, xii.  7,  8,  9;  1  Timothy  v.  17;  1  Corinthi- 
ans xii.  27;  Hebrews  xiii.  17." 

*  The  Power  of  Congregational  Churches,  &c.  p.  47, 
48.  76. 


LATER   DIVINES.  157 

The  Synod  of  1679  gave  its  sanction,  most  un- 
equivocally to  the  same  doctrine ;  not  only  by 
unanimously  renewing  their  approbation  of  the 
Platform  of  1648,  but  also  by  new  acts  of  the  most 
decisive  character.  Two  questions  proposed  to 
the  Synod  of  1679  were,  First,  "  What  are  the 
evils  that  have  provoked  the  Lord  to  bring  his 
judgments  on  New-England  ?  Secondly,  What  is 
to  be  done,  that  so  many  evils  may  be  removed  ? 
In  their  answer  to  the  second  question,  the  Synod 
say,  "It  is  requisite  that  the  utmost  endeavours 
should  be  used,  in  order  to  a  full  supply  of  officers 
in  the  Cliurch,  according  to  Christ's  institution. 
The  defect  of  these  Churches,  on  this  account,  is 
very  lamentable ;  there  being,  in  most  of  the 
Churches,  only  one  Teaching  officer,  for  the  bur- 
dens of  the  whole  congregation  to  lie  upon.  The 
Lord  Christ  would  not  have  instituted  Pastors, 
Teachers,  and  Ruling  Elders,  (nor  the  Apostles 
ordained  Elders  in  every  Church,)  if  He  had  not 
seen  that  there  was  need  of  them  for  the  good  of 
his  people.  And,  therefore,  for  men  to  think  they 
can  do  well  enough  without  them,  is  both  to  break 
the  second  Commandment,  and  to  reflect  upon  the 
wisdom  of  Christ,  as  if  he  did  appoint  unnecessary 
offices  in  his  Church."*  It  may  not  be  improper 
to  add,  that  this  Synod,  assembled  in  consequence 
of  the  "  General  Court  of  the  Colony  having  called 
upon  all  the  Churches  therein  to  send  their  Elders 
and  Messengers,  that  they  might  meet  in  form  of 
a  Synod,  in  order  to  a  most  serious  inquiry  into 
the  questions  propounded  to  them  ;  and  that  the 
Result,  when  proposed,  was  read  once  and  again, 
each  paragraph  being  duly  and  distinctly  weighed 

♦  Result  of  Three  Synods,  &c.,  p.  109. 
14 


158  TESTIMONY   OF 

in  '  the  balance  of  the  sanctuary,'  and  then,  upon 
mature  deliberation,  the  whole  unanimously  voted, 
as  to  the  substance  and  scope  thereof."* 

It  is  well  known  that  in  the  Westminster  As- 
sembly of  divines  there  was  a  small  number  of 
learned  and  zealous  Independents,  who  opposed 
some  of  the  most  prominent  features  in  the  Pres- 
byterian form  of  government  with  much  ardour  and 
pertinacity,  and  who  protracted  the  debates  respect- 
ing them  for  many  weeks.  But  it  is  equally  well 
known,  that  all  the  most  able  of  those  divines  were 
warm  advocates  of  the  office  of  Ruling  Elder,  not 
only  as  a  useful  office,  but  as  of  divine  institution. 
The  recorded  opinion  of  one  of  them,  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Goodwin,  has  been  already  stated.  No  less  point- 
ed in  maintaining  the  same  opinion,  were  Messrs. 
Bridge,  Burroughs,  and  Nye,  forming  with  Dr. 
Goodwin,  a  majority  of  the  whole  number.  And, 
accordingly,  in  their  "  Reasons  against  the  Third 
Proposition  concerning  Presbyterial  government," 
they  admit,  that  "the  Scripture  says  much  of 
two  sorts  of  Elders,  Teaching  and  Ruling;  and 
in  some  places  so  plain,  as  if  of  purpose  to  distin- 
guish them ;  and,  further,  that  the  whole  Re- 
formed Churches  had  these  different  Elders. "t 

The  following  very  explicit  extract  from  the 
well  known  work  of  the  learned  Hferbert  Thorn- 
dike,  (a  divine  of  the  Church  of  England,)  on 
"Religious  Assemblies,"  chapter  iv.  p.  117,  will 
show  his  opinion  on  the  subject  before  us.  Speak- 
ing of  the  language  of  the  Apostle,  in  1  Cor.  xii. 
28,  he  says  : — There  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  the 
men  whom  the  Apostle  here  calleth  doctors,  are 
those  of  the  Presbyters  which  had  the  abilities  of 

*  Preface,  p.  5.  6.  +  Reasons,  &.c.  p.  3.  40. 


LATER  DIVINES.  J  59 

preaching  and  teaching  the  people  at  their  as- 
semblies :  that  those  of  the  Presbyters  that  preach- 
ed not,  are  here  called  by  the  Apostle  govern- 
ments." 

The  following  remarks  of  the  Rev.  Cotton  Ma- 
ther, well  known  as  an  eminent  Congregationalist 
of  Massachusetts,  and  author  of  the  Magnalia 
Chrisli  Americana,  have  too  much  point,  and  con- 
vey too  much  instruction,  to  be  omitted  in  this  list 
of  testimonies.  "  There  are  some  who  cannot  see 
any  such  officer  as  what  we  call  a  Ruling  Elder, 
directed  and  appointed  in  the  word  of  God ;  and 
partly  through  a  prejudice  against  the  office;  and 
partly,  indeed  chiefly,  through  a  penury  of  men 
well  qualified  for  the  discharge  of  it,  as  it  has  been 
heretofore  understood  and  applied,  our  Churches 
are  now  generally  destitute  of  such  helps  in  govern- 
ment. But  unless  a  Church  have  divers  Elders, 
the  Church  government  must  needs  become  either 
prelalic  or  popular.  And  that  a  Church's  needing 
but  one  Elder,  is  an  opinion,  contrary  not  only  to 
the  sense  of  the  faithful  in  all  ages,  but  also  to  the 
law  of  the  Scriptures,  where  there  can  be  nothing 
plainer  than  Elders  who  rule  well,  and  are  worthy 
of  double  honour,  though  they  do  not  labour  in  the 
word  and  doctrine ;  whereas,  if  there  were  any- 
teaching  Elders,  who  do  not  labour  in  the  word 
and  doctrine,  they  would  be  so  far  from  worthy 
of  double  honour,  that  they  would  not  be  worthy 
of  any  honour  at  all.  Towards  the  adjusting  of 
the  difference  which  has  thus  been  in  the  judgments 
of  judicious  men,  some  essays  have  been  made, 
and  one  particularly  in  such  terms  as  these.  Let 
it  be  first  recognised,  that  all  the  other  Church  of- 
ficers are  the  assistants  of  the  Pastor,  who  was 
himself  intrusted  with  the  whole  care  of  all,  until 


\(ji)  TESTIMONY  OF 

the  further  pity  and  kindness  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  joined  oilier  officers  unto  him  for  his  as- 
sistance in  it.  I  suppose  none  will  be  so  abf^urd  as 
to  deny  this  at  least,  that  all  the  Church  officers 
are  to  take  the  advice  of  the  Pastor  with  them. 
Upon  which  I  subjoin,  that  a  man  may  be  a  difeiinct 
officer  from  his  Pastor,  and  yet  not  have  a  distinct 
office  from  him.  The  Pastor  may  be  the  Ruling 
Elder,  and  yet  he  may  have  Elders  to  assist  him 
in  ruling,  and  in  the  actual  discharge  of  some 
things  wliich  they  are  able  and  proper  to  be  ser- 
viceable to  him  in.  This  consideration  being  laid, 
I  will  persuade  myself,  every  Pastor  among  us  will 
allow  me,  that  there  is  mufh  work  to  be  done  for 
God  in  preparing/  of  what  belongs  to  the  admission 
and  exclufiion  of  Church  members;  in  carefully  in- 
specting the  way  and  walk  of  them  all,  and  the  first 
appearance  of  evil  with  them  ;  in  preventing  the 
very  beginnings  of  ill  blood  among  them,  and  in- 
structing of  all  from  house  to  house,  more  private- 
ly, and  warning  of  all  persons  unto  the  things  more 
peculiarly  incumbent  on  them;  in  visiting  all  the 
afliicied,  and  informing  of,  and  consulting  with  the 
ministers,  for  the  welfare  of  the  whole  flock.  And 
they  must  allow  me,  that  this  work  is  too  heavy 
for  any  one  man  ;  and  that  more  than  one  man, 
yea,  all  our  Churches,  do  suffer  beyond  measure, 
because  no  more  of  this  work  is  thoroughly  per- 
formed. Moreover,  they  will  acknowledge  to  me, 
that  it  is  an  usual  thing  with  a  prudent  and  faithful 
Pastor  himself,  to  single  out  some  of  the  more 
grave,  solid,  aged  brethren  in  his  congregation,  to 
assist  him  in  many  parts  of  this  work,  on  many 
occasions  in  a  year;  nor  will  such  a  Pa>ior,  ordi- 
narily, do  any  important  thing  in  his  government, 
without  having  first  heard  the  counsels  of  such 


f 


LATER  DIVINES.  |5J 

brethren.  In  short,  there  are  few  discreet  Pastors, 
but  what  make  many  occasional  Ruling  Elders 
every  year.  I  say,  then,  suppose  the  Church,  by 
a  vote,  recommend  some  such  brethren,  the  fittest 
they  have,  and  always  more  than  one,  unto  the 
stated  assistance  of  their  Pastor,  in  the  Church 
rule,  wherein  they  may  be  helps  unto  him.  I  do 
not  propose  that  they  should  be  biennial,  or  trien- 
nial only,  though  1  know  very  famous  Churches 
throughout  Europe  have  them  so.  Yea,  and  what 
if  they  should  by  solemn  fasting  and  prayer  be 
commended  unto  the  benediction  of  God  in  what 
service  they  have  to  do?  What  objection  can  be 
made  against  the  lawfulness?  1  think  none  can  be 
made  against  the  usefulness  of  such  a  thing.  Truly, 
for  my  part — if  the  fifth  chapter  of  the  first  Epistle 
to  Timothy  would  not  bear  me  out,  when  con- 
science, both  of  my  duty  and  my  weakness  made 
me  desire  such  assistance,  I  would  see  whether  the 
first  chapter  of  Deuteronomy  would  not."  ■• 

After  these  stronsf  attestations  in  favour  of  the 
office  of  Ruling  Elder  from  the  most  pious  and 
learned  of  the  early  Independents,  or  Congrega- 
tionalists,  of  New-England — it  will  naturally  occur 
to  every  reader,  as  an  interesting  question,  how  it 
came  to  pass,  that  Churches  which  once  unani- 
mously held  such  opinions,  laid  so  much  stress  on 
them,  and  practised  accordingly,  for  about  three- 
fourihs  of  a  century,  should  have,  long  since,  as 
unanimously,  discontinued  the  office?  The  first 
company  of  emigrants,  in  1620,  brought  a  Kuling 
Elder  with  them;  and  the  office  was  universally 
retained  for  many  years  afterwards.    Yet,  in  1702, 

*  Magnalia,  &c.  Book  v.  Part  ii.  p.  206,  207,  octavo 
edition,  1820. 


162  TESTIMONY  OF 

when  Dr.  Cotton  Mather  published  the  first  edition 
of  his  MaifuaUa,  it  liad  been,  as  would  seem,  from 
the  quolalion  just  made,  in  a  great  measure,  laid 
aside  ;  and  before  the  n)iddle  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury, it  had  entirely  disappeared  from  tlie  Churches 
of  New-England.  A  well  informed  and  discerning 
friend  has  suggested,  that  the  chief  reason  of  this 
remarkable  fact,  is  probably  to  be  traced  to  another 
fact  alluded  to  in  the  following  extract.  In  a  small 
volume,  printed  in  Boston,  in  1700,  and  entitled, 
*'  The  Order  of  the  g^ospel,  professed  and  practised 
by  the  (churches  of  Christ  in  New-England,  <Si^c. ;" 
by  Increase  Mather,  President  of  Harvard  ('ollege, 
and  Teacher  of  a  Church  in  Boston: — In  this 
work,  one  of  the  questions  discussed  is: — *'Whe- 
ther  or  not  our  Brethren,  and  not  the  Elders  of  the 
Churches  only,  are  to  judge  concerning  the  quali- 
fications and  fitness  of  those  who  are  admitted  into 
their  communion?"  In  answering  it,  he  says: — 
*' If  only  Elders  have  power  to  judge  who  are 
fit  to  come  to  the  sacrament,  or  to  join  to  the 
Churches;  then,  in  case  there  is  but  one  Elder  in 
a  Church,  (as  there  are  very  few  Churches  in 
New-England  that  have  more  Elders  than  one,) 
the  sole  power  will  reside  in  that  one  man's 
hands. "'^  On  this  passage,  tiie  friend  above  re- 
ferred to  remarks,  ♦'  I  am  inclined  to  think  that 
he  here  means  Ruling  Elders;  for,  1.  Several 
Churches  (whether  in  consequence  of  the  recom- 
mendation of  the  Synod  of  1079,  I  do  not  know) 
had  then  two  ministers.  2.  This  question  and 
answer  of  Dr.  I.  Mather's  is  annexed  to  a  reprint 
in  Boston  (now  lying  before  me)  of  "  A  Vindica- 
tion of  the  divine  authority  of  Ruling  Elders  in  the 

»  Order  of  the  Gospel,  &c.  p.  25. 


LATEB   DIVINES.  153 

Church  of  Christ,  asserted  by  the  ministers  and 
Elders  met  together  in  a  Provincial  Assembly, 
Nov.  2d.  1649,  and  printed  in  London,  1650." 
But  whether  this  was  his  meaning  or  not,  it  is 
abundantly  evident,  from  various  other  sources, 
that  the  Churches  of  New-England,  while  they 
retained  the  office  of  Ruling  Elder,  had  but  one 
such  Elder  at  a  time,  and  his  business  was  espe- 
cially to  attend  to  discipline.  The  office  was,  of 
course,  an  unwelcome  one  ;  and  it  became  more 
and  more  dilhcult  to  find  men  willing  to  assume  it." 
It  appears,  then,  that  our  excellent  brethren,  the 
Puritan  Independents,  while  they  zealously  main- 
tained the  divine  warrant,  and  the  great  importance 
of  the  Ruling  Elder's  office,  misapprehended  its 
real  nature,  and  placed  it  under  an  aspect  before 
the  Churches  evidently  adapted  to  discredit  and 
destroy  it.  Instead  of  appointing  a  plurality  of 
these  Ruling  Elders,  they  seldom  or  never  had 
more  than  one  in  each  Church  ;  and  instead  of 
uniting  the  Pastor  with  him,  and  forming  a  regular 
judicial  bench  for  regulating  the  affairs  of  the 
Church,  they  seemed  to  have  placed  each  in  a 
sphere  entirely  separate,  and  independent  of  each 
other;  nay,  to  have  made  the  offices  of  Teacher 
and  Ruler,  wear  an  appearance  of  being  rivals  for 
influence  and  power.  Certain  it  is,  thai  the  views 
entertained  by  each,  of  his  proper  department  of 
duty,  often,  in  fact,  brought  them  into  collision,  and 
made  the  situation  of  the  Ruler  both  uncomfortable 
and  useless.  Can  it  be  matter  of  surprise,  that, 
in  these  circumstances,  the  office  of  Ruling  Elder 
in  the  Congregational  Churches  of  New  England, 
gained  but  little  favour  with  the  body  of  the  people  ; 
that  it  came  to  be  considered  as,  at  once,  odious 


154  TESTIMONY   OF 

and  useless;  would  be  undertaken  by  few  ;  and,  at 
length,  fell  into  entire  di^-use? 

'I'he  testimony  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  Edwards, 
an  eminently  pious  and  learned  divine  of  the 
Church  of  England,  who  flourished  during  the 
latter  half  of  tlie  seventeenth  century,  is  equally 
decisive  in  favour  of  this  office.  His  language  is 
as  follows : — 

"7'his  office  of  a  Ruling  Elder  is  according  to 
the  practice  of  the  Church  of  God  among  the  Jews, 
his  own  people.  It  is  certain  that  there  was  this 
kind  of  Elders  under  that  economy. — There  were 
two  sorts  of  Elders  among  the  Jews,  the  Ruling 
ones,  who  governed  in  their  Assemblies  and  >Syna- 
gogues,  and  the  Teaching  ones,  who  read  and  ex- 
pounded the  Scriptures.  Accordingly,  Dr.  Light- 
foot,  in  his  Harmony  of  the  New  Testament,  in- 
clines Vj  interpret  1  Timothy  v.  17,  of  the  Elders 
in  the  Christian  congregations,  who  answer  to  the 
lay-Elders  in  the  Jewish  Synagogue.  For  this 
learned  writer,  who  was  well  versed  in  the  Jewish 
customs  and  practices,  tells  us,  that  in  every  Syna- 
gogue among  the  Jews,  there  were  Elders  that 
ruled  chiefly  in  the  affairs  of  the  Synagogue,  and 
other  Elders,  that  laboured  in  the  word  and  doc- 
trine." "  And  so  it  was  in  the  Christian  Church  ; 
there  was  a  mixture  of  Clergy  and  Laity  in  their 
consults  about  Church  matters,  as  we  see  frequently 
in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  The  Christian  Church 
retained  this  usage,  for  which  they  quoie  St. 
Augustine's  137th  Epistle,  where  he  mentions  the 
Clergy  and  the  Polders,  and  the  people.  So  in  his 
third  book  against  Cresconius,  he  mentions  Dea- 
cons and  Seniors,  that  is  lay-Elders,  for  he  dis- 
tinguishes them  from   other  Presbyters.     One  of 


LATER   DIVINES.  165 

his  Epistles  to  his  Church  in  Hippo  is  thus  super- 
scribed, ♦  To  the  Clergy  and  the  Elders.'  See  chap- 
ter 56ih,  in  the  fore-named  book  against  Cresconius, 
where  he  mentions  Peregrinns,  the  Presbyter,  and 
the  EhJers  (Seniores.)*  And  nothing  can  be 
plainer  than  that  of  St.  Ambrose — '  Both  the  Syna- 
gogue and  afterwards  the  Church,  had  their  Elders, 
without  whose  counsel  nothing  was  done  in  the 
Church,  (fee'  Further,  we  read  of  these  Seniors 
in  the  writings  of  Optatus,  p.  41,  and  in  the  Epistles 
annexed  to  him,  which  the  reader  may  cons^ult. 
Thus  it  appears  that  this  was  an  ancient  office  in 
the  Church,  and  not  invented  by  Calvin,  as  some 
have  thought  and  writ."t 

"And  then  as  to  the  reason  of  the  thing,  there 
should  be  no  ground  of  quarrelling  with  this  office 
in  the  Church,  seeing  it  is  useful.  It  was  insti- 
tuted for  the  ease  of  the  preaching  Elders,  that 
they  might  not  be  overburdened  with  business,  and 
that  they  might  more  conveniently  apply  them- 
selves to  that  employment  which  is  purely  eccle- 
siastical and  spiritual.    Truly  if  there  was  no  such 

*  It  will  not  escape  the  notice  of  the  discerning  reader 
that  these  testimonies  from  Augustine,  Ambrose,  and 
Optatus,  which  some  have  ventured,  very  unceremoniously, 
to  treat  with  contempt,  when  brought  forward  on  tliis 
subject,  are  regarded  by  this  very  learned  Episcopalian, 
as  evidence  of  the  most  conclusive  character. 

t  The  old  and  hacknied  allegation,  which  has  been  the 
theme  of  high-toned  Episcopalians  and  Independents  for 
more  than  two  hundred  years,  that  Calvin  invented  and 
first  introduced  Ruling  Elders,  it  will  be  observed  is  con- 
fidently  rejected  by  this  truly  learned  Episcopal  Divine, 
who,  trom  his  ecclesiastical  connexion,  cannot  be  supposed 
to  have  had  any  other  inducement  to  adopt  the  opinion 
which  he  has  expressed,  than  his  love  of  trutli. 


156  TESTIMONY   OF 

office  mentioned  in  the  Scripture,  we  might  reason- 
ably wish  for  such  a  one,  it  being  so  useful  and 
serviceable  to  the  great  purposes  of  religion.  What 
can  be  more  desirable  than  that  there  should  be 
one  or  more  appointed  to  observe  the  conversation 
of  the  flock,  in  order  to  the  exercising  of  discipline. 
The  Pastor  himself  cannot  be  supposed  to  have  an 
eye  on  every  one  of  his  charge;  and,  therefore,  it 
is  fitting,  that  out  of  those  who  are  fellow-members, 
and  daily  converse  with  one  another;  and,  there- 
fore, are  capable  of  acquainting  themselves  with 
their  manners  and  behaviour,  there  should  be 
chosen  these  Elders  I  am  speaking  of,  to  inspect 
the  carriage  and  deportment  of  the  flock."* 

The  judgment  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Jerome  Kro- 
mayer,  a  very  learned  Lutheran  divine,  and  Pro- 
fessor of  Divinity  in  the  University  of  Leipsic, 
who  lived  in  the  seventeenth  century,  is  very  de- 
cisive in  favour  of  the  apostolical  institution  of 
Ruling  Elders.  "  Of  Presbyters,  or  Elders,"  says 
he,  *'  there  were  formerly  two  kinds,  those  who 
taught,  and  those  who  exercised  the  office  of 
rulers  in  the  Church.  This  is  taught  in  1  Timo- 
thy v.  17 ;  '  Let  the  Elders  that  rule  well  be  ac- 
counted worthy  of  double  honour,  especially  they 
who  labour  in  the  word  and  doctrine.'  The  latter 
were  the  same  as  our  Ministers;  the  former,  were 
like  the  members  of  our  Consistories."t 

A  similar  testimony  may  be  adduced  from  Fre- 
derick  Baldwin,  another   distinguished  Lutheran 

*  Theologia  Reformata,  Vol.  i.  Ninth  Article  of  the 
Creed,  p.  526.  528. 

t  Historia  Ecciesiastica,  auctore  Hieronymo  Kroma- 
yero,  D.  D.  S.  S.  T.  D.  in  Acad.  Leips.  4to.  p.  59. 


LATER  DIVINES.  157 

divine  and  Professor,  of  the  same  century,  who  is 
no  less  decisive  in  favour  of  the  class  of  offices 
under  consideration.* 

The  celebrated  John  Casper  Suicer,  an  emi- 
nently learned  German  divine  and  Professor,  in 
his  Thesaurus  JScclesiasticus,  after  speaiving  par- 
ticularly of  Teaching  Presbyters  or  Elders,  in  the 
first  place,  proceeds  to  speak  of  another  class  of 
Elders,  who,  (he  says)  "  chosen  from  among  the 
people,  (or  laity,)  are  united  with  the  Pastors,  or 
Ministers  of  the  Word,  that  they  may  be  guardians 
of  the  discipline  of  the  Church.  To  these  the 
Apostle  Paul  refers  in  1  Timothy  v.  17,  where, 
by  the  Elders  who  labour  in  the  word  and  doc- 
trine, he  evidently  understands  that  class  of  Elders 
of  which  we  have  spoken  in  the  preceding  section  ; 
and  by  those  who  rule  well,  he  plainly  refers  to 
the  class  of  which  we  now  speak.  For  if  he  had 
intended  to  speak  of  only  one  class,  why  did  he 
add,  especially  those  who  labour  in  the  word  and 
doctrine  ?  This  class  are  also  designated  by  the 
term  Tr^oicrAfxivovr,  in  Romans  xii.  8,  and  by  the 
term  Ku/ii^vitcrsiT,  in  1  Corinthians  xii.  29."t 

The  very  explicit  testimony  of  Dr.  Whitby,  of 
the  Church  of  England,  was  produced  in  a  prece- 
ding chapter,  when  we  were  discussing  the  scrip- 
tural evidence  in  favour  of  the  office  under  consi- 
deration. It  need  not,  therefore,  here  be  repeated, 
excepting  simply  to  remind  the  reader  of  its  deci- 
sive character.  The  concessions  also  of  Bishop 
Fell,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Marshall,  and  the  celebrated 
Mr.  Dodwell,  of  the  same  Church,  will  also,  in 
this  connexion,  be  borne  in  mind.     They  may  be 

*  Fred.  Balduini  Institut.  Ministrorutn  Verbi.  Cap,  10. 
t  Suiceri  I'hesaurus  Eccesiasticus,  Art.  Tr^io-CvngoT. 


I  53  TESTIMONY   OF 

found  in  the  fourth  chapter,  in  connexion  with  the 
testimony  from  tlie  Fathers. 

The  pious  and  excellent  Dr.  Watts,  though  not 
a  Presbyterian,  must  be  considered  as  indirectly 
doing  homage  to  this  part  of  the  Presbyterian  sys- 
tem, when  he  says,  (in  his  Treatise  on  tlie  Foun- 
dation of  the  Christian  Church,  p.  125,)  "If  it 
happens  that  there  is  but  one  Minister  or  Presby- 
ter in  a  Cliurch,  or  if  the  ministers  are  young  men 
of  small  experience  in  the  world,  it  is  useful  and 
proper  that  some  of  the  eldest,  gravest,  and  wisest 
members  be  deputed,  by  the  Church,  to  join  with 
and  assist  the  ministers  in  the  care  and  manage- 
ment of  that  affair,  (the  admission  and  exclusion  of 
members.") 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Doddridge,  universally  known  as 
an  eminently  learned  and  pious  divine  of  England, 
of  the  Independent  denomination,  in  reference  to 
the  office  in  question  speaks  thus :  "  It  seems  to 
be  solidly  argued,  from  1  Timothy  v.  17,  that 
there  were,  in  the  primitive  Church,  some  Elders, 
who  did  not  use  to  preach.  Nothing  very  express 
is  said  concerning  them:  only  it  seems  to  be  inti- 
mated, James  v.  14,  that  they  prayed  with  the 
sick.  It  may  be  very  expedient,  even  on  the  prin- 
ciples of  human  prudence,  to  appoint  some  of  the 
more  grave  and  honourable  members  of  the  society 
to  join  with  the  Pastor  in  the  oversight  of  it,  who 
may  constitute  a  kind  of  council  with  him,  to  de- 
liberate on  affairs  in  which  the  society  is  con- 
cerned, and  prepare  them  for  being  brought  before 
the  Church  for  its  decision,  to  pray  with  the  sick, 
to  reconcile  differences,  &;c."* 

The  same  distinguished  writer,  in  his  Commen- 

*  Lectures  on  Divinity,  Proposition  150  Scholium  5th. 


LATER    DIVINES.  \QQ 

tary  on  1  Timothy  v.  17,  has  the  following  re- 
mark: "  Especially  they  who  labour,  &c.  This 
seems  to  intimate  that  tliere  were  some  who, 
though  they  presided  in  the  Church,  were  not 
employed  in  preaching.  Limborch,  indeed,  is  of 
opinion  that  icoTnmn^  signifies  those  who  did  even 
fatigue  themselves  with  their  extraordinary  labours, 
which  some  might  not  do,  who  yet,  in  the  general, 
presided  well,  supposing  preaching  to  be  a  part  of 
their  work.  But  it  seems  to  me  much  more  natu- 
ral to  follow  the  former  interpretation." 

The  celebrated  Professor  Neander,  of  Berlin, 
was  mentioned  in  a  preceding  chapter,  as  proba- 
bly, the  most  profoundly  learned  Christian  anti- 
quarian now  living.  In  addition  to  the  quotation 
from  him  presented  in  that  chapter,  the  following, 
from  the  same  work,  is  worthy  of  notice. 

*'  That  the  name  fiT/5-;cG;rss-,  was  of  the  same  sig- 
nification with  TT^iT^vTi^og;  is  manifest  from  those 
places  in  the  New  Testament  where  these  words 
are  exchanged  the  one  for  the  other;  Acts  xx.  17. 
28;  Tit.  i.  5.  7;  and  from  those  passages  wliere, 
after  the  office  of  Bishop  that  of  Deacon  is  men- 
tioned ;  so  that  no  other  office  can  be  imagined 
between  them.  If  the  name  sTr/sTcoTrs?  had  been  used 
to  distinguish  any  of  these  Elders  from  the  rest,  as 
a  ruler  in  the  Church  Senate,  a  primus  inter  pares, 
this  use  of  it  interchangeably  with  Trgsjr/Si^Ts^os-  would 
not  have  obtained." 

"  These  Presbyters,  or  Bishops,  had  the  over- 
sight of  the  whole  Church,  in  all  its  general  con- 
cerns; but  the  office  of  teaching  was  not  appro- 
priated exclusively  to  them  ;  for,  as  we  have  above 
remarked,  all  Christians  had  a  right  to  speak  in 
their  meetings  for  the  edification  of  the  members. 
It  does  not  follow  from  this,  however,  that  all  the 


270  TESTIMONY   OP 

Church  members  were  capable  of  giving  instruc- 
tion:  and  it  is  important  to  distinguish  a  faculty 
for  instruction  which  was  under  the  command  of 
an  individual,  from  the  miraculous  and  sudden  im- 
pulses of  inspiration,  as  in  prophecy,  and  the  gift 
of  tongues;  and  which  might  be  bestowed  upon 
those  not  remarkably  favoured  by  natural  gifts. 
The  care  of  the  Churches,  the  preservation  and 
extension  of  pure  evangelical  truth,  and  the  defence 
of  it  against  the  various  forms  of  error,  which  early 
appeared,  could  not  be  left  entirely  lo  depend  upon 
these  extraordinary  and  often  transient  impulses. 
'J  he  weakness  of  human  nature  to  which  was  com- 
mitted the  treasure  of  the  gospel,  as  in  "earthen 
vessels,"  seemed  to  render  it  necessary  that  there 
should  be,  in  every  Church,  some  possessed  of  the 
natural  endowments  necessary  to  instruct  their 
brethren  in  the  truth,  to  warn  and  exhort  them 
against  error,  and  lead  them  forward  in  the  way  of 
life.  Such  endowments  presuppose  a  previous 
course  of  instruction,  clearness  and  acuteness  of 
thought,  and  a  power  to  communicate  their  ideas; 
and  when  these  were  present,  and  the  Spirit  of 
God  was  imparted  to  animate  and  sanctify,  the 
man  became  possessed  of  the  '■'■  xH^'^l^^^^'^^^'-^^^'^^-'' 
Those  possessed  of  this  ;t.*§"^/"«^)  were,  on  this  ac- 
count, calculated  for  all  the  purposes  above  aUuded 
to,  without  excluding  the  remainder  from  exercis- 
ing the  gift  imparted  to  them,  of  whatever  kind  it 
might  be.  On  this  account,  the  XH^^y-^  Si^taKctKictTi 
and  the  situation  of  teachers,  {^'tJnTKctxot,)  who  were 
distinguished  by  this  gift,  was  represented  as  some- 
thing entirely  distinct  and  peculiar.  (1  Cor.  xii. 
28.  xiv.  6;  Ephes.  iv.  11.)  All  members  of  a 
Church  could,  at  times,  speak  before  their  brethren, 
either  to  call  upon  God,  or  to  praise  him,  when  so 


LATER   DIVINES.  171 

inclined;  but  only  a  few  were  SJatkakzi^  m  the  full 
sense  of  that  term." 

*'  It  is  very  clear  too,  that  this  talent  for  teach- 
ing, was  (liiTerent  from  that  of  governing,  (i.  e. 
X^ii^y-A  x-v/iieviiTia^,)  which  was  especially  necessary 
for  him  who  took  his  seat  in  the  Council  of  the 
Church,  that  is  for  a  cr^ss-Cyrsgcr  or  iTria-KaTroT.  One 
might  possess  the  knowledge  of  external  matters, 
the  tact,  the  Christian  prudence  necessary  for  this 
duty,  without  the  mental  qualities  so  peculiarly  de- 
sirable in  a  teacher.  In  the  first  apostolic  Church, 
from  which  every  thing  like  mere  arbitrary  ar- 
rangements concerning  rank  were  very  distant, 
and  all  offices  were  looked  upon  only  as  they  pro- 
mised the  attainment  of  the  great  end  of  the  Chris- 
tian faith,  the  offices  of  teacher  and  ruler,  «^'«^*<^'i*^os- 
and  TT'^if^iiv  were  separated.  For  this  distinction, 
see  Romans  xii.  7,  8.  In  noticing  this  well  de- 
fined distinction,  we  may  be  led  to  the  opinion, 
that  originally,  those  called,  by  way  of  preference, 
teachers,  did  not  belong  to  the  class  of  rulers,  or 
overseers.  Also,  it  is  not  clearly  proved  that  they 
did  always  belong  to  the  class  of  Tr^i^T-Cun^o!.  Only 
this  is  certain,  that  it  was  considered  as  desirable 
that,  among  the  rulers  there  should  be  those  capa- 
ble of  teaching  also.  When  it  is  enjoined  upon 
the  Presbyters  in  general,  as  in  the  farewell  of 
Paul  to  the  Church  of  Ephesus,  (Acts  xx.)  to 
watch  over  the  Church  and  preserve  its  doctrine 
pure,  it  does  not  necessarily  follow  that  the  duty 
of  teaching,  in  its  strict  sense,  was  insisted  on; 
but  rather  a  general  superintendence  of  the  affairs 
of  that  body.  But  when,  in  the  Epistle  to  Titus, 
it  is  demanded  in  an  fi^'a-xocror  that  he  not  only 
"  hold  fast  the  form  of  sound  words"  in  his  pri- 
vate  capacity,   but   that  he    should    be    able   to 


J 72  TESTIMONY  OF 

Strengthen  others  therein;  to  overcome  opposers, 
and  "  convince  gainsayers,"  it  seems  to  be  implied 
that  he  should  possess  the  "gift  of  teaching." 
This  must  have  been,  in  many  situations  of  the 
Churches,  exposed  as  they  were  to  errors  of  every 
kind,  highly  desirable.  And  on  this  account,  in 
1  Tim.  V.  17,  those  among  the  7r^i<rCuTi^ot,  vvho 
united  llie  gift  of  teaching  {<iJ:t7>cct>jct)  with  that  of 
governing,  {Kv/ii^vna-iT)  were  to  be  especially  ho- 
noured. This  distinction  of  the  two  gifts  shows 
that  they  were  not  constantly  or  necessarily  uni- 
ted."* 

The  same  writer  says : — "  We  find  another 
office  in  the  apostolic  times — that  of  Deacons. 
The  duties  of  this  office  were  from  the  first  only 
external,  (Acts  vi.,)  as  it  seems  to  have  taken  its 
rise  for  the  sole  purpose  of  attending  to  the  distri- 
bution of  alms.  The  care  of  the  poor,  however, 
and  of  the  sick,  and  many  other  external  duties 
were,  in  process  of  time,  imposed  upon  those  in 
this  station.  Besides  the  Deacons,  there  were  also 
Deaconesses  appointed,  who  could  have  free  access 
to  the  female  part  of  the  Church,  which  was,  on 
account  of  the  peculiar  manners  of  the  East,  denied, 
to  a  great  extent,  to  men.  Here  the  female  had 
an  opportunity  of  exercising  her  powers  for  the  ex- 
tension of  the  true  faith,  without  overstepping  the 
bounds  of  modesty  and  propriety,  and  in  a  field 
otherwise  inaccessible.  It  was  their  duty,  too,  as 
experienced  Christian  mothers,  to  give  advice  and 

*  It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  this  profound  ecclesiastical 
historian,  in  another  place,  quotes  Hilary  (Ambrose)  as 
speaking  of  the  Ruling  Klders,  in  the  Synagogue,  and  in 
the  Church,  and  interprets  him  as  plainly  teachmg  the  dis- 
tinction  here  made  between  teaching  and  ruling  Elders, 
substantially  as  wc  have  done  in.  a  preceding  chapter. 


LATER   DIVINES.  173 

support  to  the  younger  women,  as  seems  to  have 
been  the  case  from  Tertullian,  De  Virgin.  Veland. 
c.  9."* 

Only  one  authority  more  shall  be  adduced  on 
this  subject,  and  that  shall  be  from  the  pen  of  our 
venerable  and  eloquent  countryman,  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Dwight,  whose  character  for  learning,  talents,  and 
piety,  needs  no  attestation  from  the  writer  of  this 
Essay.  Though  himself  a  Congregationalist,  and 
without  any  other  inducement  to  declare  in  favour 
of  Ruling  Elders,  than  that  which  the  force  of 
truth  presented,  he  expresses  himself  concerning 
their  office  in  the  following  unequivocal  terms  : — 
"  Ruling  Elders  are,  in  my  apprehension.  Scrip- 
tural officers  of  the  Christian  Church  ;  and  I  can- 
not but  think  our  defection,  with  respect  to  these 
officers,  from  the  practice  of  the  first  settlers  of 
New  England,  an  error  in  ecclesiastical  govern- 
ment.^'t 

This  array  of  witnesses  might  be  greatly  extend- 
ed, were  it  proper  to  detain  the  reader  with  further 
extracts.  But  it  is  presumed  that  those  which 
have  been  produced  are  abundantly  sufficient.  It 
will  be  observed  that  no  Presbyterian  has  been 
cited  as  an  authority  in  this  case.  The  names, 
indeed,  of  multitudes  of  that  denomination,  might 
have  been  produced,  equal  to  any  others  that  can 
be  shown  on  the  catalogue  of  piety,  talents,  and 
learning.  But  the  testimony  of  more  impartial 
witnesses  may  be  preferred.  Recourse  has  been 
had,  then,  to  those  who  could  not  possibly  have 
been  swayed  by  a  Presbyterian  bias.  And  a  suffi- 
ciency of  such  has  been  produced,  it  is  hoped,  to 

*  Kirchengeschichte. 

t  Theology  Explained  and  Defended,  Vol.  iv.  p.  399. 

15 


174  RULING   ELDERS 

make  a  deep  impression  on  candid  minda.  Ro- 
niaiiisls,  Frolestant  Episcopalians,  Liiiiierans,  and 
Independents,  have  all  most  remarkably  concurred 
in  vindicating  an  ofTice,  llie  due  admission  and 
scriplural  use  of  which  are,  perhaps,  of  more  im- 
portance to  the  best  interests  of  the  Church  of 
God,  than  this,  or  any  other  single  volume  can 
fully  display. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

RULING  ELDERS  ABSOLUTELY  NECESSARY  IN  THE  CHURCH. 

By  this  is  meant,  that  the  laws  which  Christ  has 
appointed  for  the  government  and  edification  of 
his  people,  cannot  possibly  be  executed  without 
such  a  class  of  officers  in  fact,  whatever  name  they 
may  bear.  But  that  which  is  the  necessary  result 
of  a  divine  institution,  is  of  equal  authority  with 
the  institution  itself.  All  powers  or  instruments 
really  indispensable  to  the  faithful  and  plenary 
execution  of  laws  which  an  infinitely  wise  Go- 
vernor has  enacted,  must  be  considered  as  implied 
in  those  laws,  even  should  they  not  be  formally 
specified. 

Now,  all  serious  impartial  readers  of  the  Bible 
believe,  that,  besides  the  preaching  of  the  gospel, 
and  the  administration  of  the  sacraments,  there  is 
very  much  to  be  done  for  promoting  the  order, 
purity,  and  edification  of  the  (Jhurch,  by  the  main- 
tenance of  a  scriptural  Discipline.  They  believe 
that  the  best  interest  of  every  ecclesiastical  com- 
munity requires,  that  there  be  a  constant  and  faith- 
ful inspection  of  all  the  members  and  families  of 


ARE    NECESSARY.  275 

the  Church;    that  the  negliffent  be  admonished; 
that  wanderers  be  reclaimed;  that  scandals  be  re- 
moved;  that  irregularities  be  corrected;  that  dif- 
ferences be  reconciled  ;  and  every  proper  measure 
adopted  to  bind  the  whole  body  together  by  the 
ties  of  Christian  purity  and   charity.    They  con- 
sider it  as  vitally  important  that  there  be  added  to 
tlie  labours  of  the  Pulpit,  those  of  teaching  "from 
house  to  house,"  visiting  the  sick,  conversing  with 
serious  inquirers,  catechising  children,  learning  as 
far  as   possible   the   character  and  state  of  every 
member,  even  the  poorest  and  most  obscure,  of  the 
flock,  and  endeavouring,  by  all  scriptural  means, 
to  promote  the  knowledge,  holiness,  comfort  and 
spiritual    welfare  of  every  individual.     They  be- 
lieve, in  fine,  that  none  ought  to  be  admitted  to  the 
communion  of  the  Church,  without  a  careful   ex- 
amination in  reference  to  their  knowledge,  ortho- 
doxy, good  moral  character,  and   hopeful   piety; 
that  none  ought  to  be  permitted  to  remain   in   the 
bosom  of  the  Church,  without  maintaining,  in  some 
tolerable  degree,  a  character  proper  for  professing 
Christians;   that  none  ought  to  be  suspended  from 
the  enjoyment  of  Church  privileges  but  after  a  fair 
trial ;  and  that  none  should  be  finally  excommuni- 
cated from  the  covenanted  family  of  Christ,  with- 
out the  most  patient  inquiry,  and  every  suitable 
effort  to  bring  them  to  repentance  and  reformation. 
It  is,  no  doubt,  true,  that  the  very  suggestion  of 
the  necessity  and   importance  of  disciplne  in  the 
Church  is  odious  to  many  who  bear  the  Christian 
name.     The  worldly  and  careless  portion  of  every 
Church  consider  the  interposition  of  ecclesiastical 
inspection  and  authority  in  reference  to  the  lives 
and  conversation  of  its  members,  as  oflicious  and 
offensive  meddling  with  private  concerns.     They 


J 76  RULING    ELDERS 

would  much  rather  retain  their  external  standing, 
as  professors  of  religion,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
pursue  their  unhallowed  pleasures  without  control. 
They  never  wish  to  see  a  minister,  as  such,  but  in 
the  Pulpit;  or  any  Chu'-ch  officer  in  any  other 
place  than  his  seat  in  the  sanctuary.  To  such 
persons,  the  entire  absence  of  the  class  of  officers 
for  which  we  are  pleading,  together  with  the  exer- 
cise of  all  their  appropriate  functions,  would  be 
matter  rather  of  felicitation  than  regret.  Hence  the 
violent  opposition  made  to  the  introduction  of 
Ruling  Elders  into  the  Church  of  Geneva,  by  the 
wordly  and  licentious  part  of  her  members.  And 
hence  the  insuperable  repugnance  to  the  establish- 
ment of  sound  and  scriptural  discipline,  manifested 
60  repeatedly,  and  to  this  day,  by  some  of  the 
largest  national  Churches  of  Europe. 

But  I  need  not  say  to  those  who  take  their  views 
of  the  Christian  Church,  and  its  real  prosperity, 
from  the  Bible,  and  from  the  best  experience,  that 
enlightened,  and  faithful  discipline  is,  not  only  im- 
portant, but  absolutely  essential  to  the  purity  and 
edification  of  the  body  of  Christ.  It  ought  to  be 
regarded  as  one  of  the  most  precious  means  of 
grace,  by  which  offenders  are  liumbled,  sofiened, 
and  brought  to  repentance;  the  Church  purged  of 
unworthy  members;  offences  removed  ;  the  honour 
of  Christ  promoted  ;  real  Christians  stimulated  and 
improved  in  their  spiritual  course  ;  faithful  testi- 
mony borne  against  error  and  crime  ;  and  tlie  pro- 
fessing family  of  Christ  made  to  appear  holy  and 
beautiful  in  the  view  of  the  world.  Without  whole- 
some discipline,  for  removing  offences,  and  exclud- 
ing the  corrupt  and  profane,  there  may  be  an  as- 
sembly; but  there  cannot  be  a  Church.  The  truth 
is,  the  exercise  of  a  faithful  watch  and  care  over 


ARE  NECESSARY.  |77 

the  purity  of  each  other  in  doctrine,  worship,  and 
life,  is  one  of  the  principal  purposes  for  which  the 
Christian  Church  was  established,  and  on  account 
of  which  it  is  hii^hly  prized  by  every  enlightened 
believer.  And,  I  have  no  doubt,  it  may  be  safely 
affirmed,  that  a  large  part  of  all  that  is  holy  in  the 
Church,  at  the  present  day,  either  in  faith  or  prac- 
tice, may  be  ascribed,  under  God,  as  much  to  souhid 
ecclesiastical  discipline,  as  to  the  faithful  preaching 
of  the  gospel. 

And  if  the  maintenance  of  discipline  be  all  im- 
portant to  the  interests  of  true  religion,  it  is  a  mat- 
ter of  no  less  imporiance  that  it  be  conducted  with 
mildness,  prudence,  and  wisdom.  Rashness,  pre- 
cipitancy, undue  severity,  malice,  partiality,  po- 
pular fury,  and  attempting  to  enforce  rules  v^hich 
Christ  never  gave,  are  among  the  many  evils  which 
have  too  often  marked  the  dispensation  of  authority 
in  the  Church,  and  not  unfrequently  defeated  the 
great  purpose  of  discipline.  To  conduct  it  aright, 
is,  undoubtedly,  one  of  the  most  delicate  and  ar- 
duous parts  of  ecclesiastical  administration ;  re- 
quiring all  the  piety,  judgment,  patience,  gentle- 
ness, maturity  of  counsel,  and  prayerfulness  which 
can  be  brought  to  bear  upon  the  subject. 

Now  the  question  is,  by  whom  shall  all  these 
multiplied,  weighty  and  indispensable  services  be 
performed?  Besides  the  arduous  work  of  public 
instruction  and  exhortation,  who  shall  attend  to  all 
the  numberless  and  ever-recurring  details  of  in- 
spection, warning  and  visitation,  which  are  so  need- 
ful in  every  Christian  community  ?  Will  any  say, 
it  is  the  duty  of  the  Pastor  of  each  Church  to  per- 
form them  all  ?  The  very  suggestion  is  absurd.  It 
is  physically  impossible  for  him  to  do  it.  He 
cannot  be  every  where,  and  know  every  thing. 


J  78  RULING  ELDERS 

He  cannot  perform  what  is  expected  from  him, 
and  at  the  same  time  so  walch  over  iiis  whole 
flock  as  to  fulfil  every  duty  which  the  interest  of 
the  Church  demands.  He  must  "give  himself  to 
reading;"  he  must  prepare  for  the  services  of  the 
pulpit;  he  must  discharge  his  various  public  la- 
bours; he  must  employ  much  time  in  private,  in 
insiiucting  and  counselling  those  who  apply  to 
him  for  instruction  and  advice  ;  and  he  must  act  his 
part  in  the  concerns  of  the  whole  Church  with 
which  he  is  connected.  Now,  is  it  practicable  for 
any  man,  however  diligent  and  active,  to  do  all 
this,  and  at  the  same  time  to  perform  the  whole 
work  of  inspection  and  government  over  a  congre- 
gation of  the  ordinary  size?  We  might  as  well  ex- 
pect and  demand  any  impossibility;  and  impossi- 
bilities the  great  and  merciful  Head  of  the  Church 
requires  of  no  man. 

But  even  if  it  were  reasonable  or  possible,  that 
a  Pastor  should,  alone,  perform  all  these  duties, 
ought  he  to  be  willing  to  undertake  them  ;  or  ought 
the  Church  to  be  willing  to  commit  them  to  him 
alone  ?  We  know  that  ministers  are  subject  to  the 
same  frailties  and  imperfections  with  other  men. 
We  know,  too,  that  a  love  of  pre-eminence  and  of 
power  is  not  only  natural  to  them,  in  common  with 
others  ;  but  that  this  principle,  very  early  after  the 
days  of  the  Apostles,  began  to  manifest  itself  as  the 
reigning  sin  of  ecclesiastics,  and  produced,  first 
Prelacy,  and  afterwards  Popery,  which  has  so 
long  and  so  ignobly  enslaved  the  Church  of  Christ. 
Does  not  this  plainly  show  the  folly  and  danger  of 
yielding  undefined  power  to  Pastors  alone?  Is  it 
wise  or  safe  to  constitute  one  man  a  despot  over  a 
whole  Church  ?  Is  it  proper  to  intrust  to  a  single 
individual  the  weighty  and  complicated  work  of 


ARE   NECESSARY.  \70 

inspecting,  trying,  judging,  admitting,  condemning, 
excluding,  and  restoring,  without  control?  Ought 
the  members  of  a  Church  to  consent  that  all  their 
rights  and  privileges  in  reference  to  Christian  com- 
munion, should  be  subject  to  the  will  of  a  single 
man,  as  his  partiality,  kindness,  and  favouritism, 
on  the  one  hand  ;  or  his  caprice,  prejudice,  or  pas- 
sion, on  the  other,  might  dictate?  Such  a  mode  of 
conducting  the  government  of  the  Church,  to  say 
nothing  of  its  unscriplural  character,  is,  in  the 
highest  degree,  unreasonable  and  dangerous.  It 
can  hardly  fail  to  exert  an  influence  of  the  most  in- 
jurious character,  both  on  the  clergy  and  laity.  It 
tends  to  nurture  in  the  former,  a  spirit  of  selfish- 
ness, pride  and  ambition;  and  instead  of  ministers 
of  holiness,  love  and  mercy,  to  transform  them  into 
ecclesiastical  tyrants.  While  its  tendency,  with 
regard  to  the  latter,  is  gradually  to  beget  in  them 
a  blind,  implicit  submission  to  clerical  domination. 
The  ecclesiastical  encroachments  and  despotism  of 
former  times,  already  alluded  to,  read  us  a  most 
instructive  lesson  on  this  subject.  The  fact  is, 
committing  the  whole  government  of  the  Church 
to  the  hands  of  Pastors  alone,  may  be  affirmed  to 
carry  in  it  some  of  the  worst  seeds  of  Popery; 
which,  though  under  the  administration  of  good 
men,  they  may  not  at  once  lead  to  palpable  mis- 
chief, will  seldom  fail  in  producing,  in  the  end,  the 
most  serious  evils,  both  to  those  who  govern,  and 
those  who  obey. 

Accordingly,  as  was  intimated  in  a  preceding 
chapter,  we  have  no  example  in  Scripture  of  a 
Church  being  committed  to  the  government  of  a 
single  individual.  Such  a  thing  was  unknown  in 
the  Jewish  Synagogue.  It  was  unknown  in  the 
apostolic  age.     And  it  continued  to  be  unknown, 


J30  RFLINO   ELDERS 

until  ecclesiastical  pride  and  ambition  introduced 
it,  and  with  it  a  host  of  mischiefs  to  tlie  body  of 
Christ.  In  all  the  primitive  Churches  we  find  a 
plurality  of  "  Eiders,"  and  we  read  enough  in  the 
early  records,  in  some  particular  cases,  to  perceive 
that  these  "  Elders"  were  not  only  chosen  by  the 
members  of  the  Church,  out  of  their  own  number, 
as  their  representatives,  to  exercise  over  them  the 
functions  of  inspection  and  ruling  ;  but  that,  when- 
ever they  ceased  to  discharge  the  duties  of  their 
office  acceptably,  they  might  be  removed  from  its 
actual  exercise  at  the  pleasure  of  ihose  by  whom 
they  were  chosen.  Thus  plainly  evincing,  that 
the  constitution  of  the  primitive  Church  was  emi- 
nently adapted  to  guard  against  ecclesiastical  ty- 
ranny; and  that  if  that  constitution  iiad  been  pre- 
served, the  evils  of  clerical  encroachment  would 
have  been  avoided.  Accordinjily,  it  is  remarkable 
tliat  the  pious  Ambrose,  a  venerable  Father  of  the 
fourth  century,  quoted  in  a  former  chapter,  ex- 
pressly conveys  an  intimation  of  this  kind,  when 
speaking  of  the  gradual  disuse  of  the  ofHce  of  Ru- 
ling Elder.  '*  Which  order,"  says  he,  "  by  what 
negligence  it  grew  into  disuse,  I  know  not,  unless, 
perhaps,  by  the  sloth,  or  rather  by  the  pride  of  the 
teachers,  who  alone  wished  to  appear  something." 
"  It  is  a  vain  apprehension,"  says  the  venerable 
Dr.  Owen,  *' to  suppose  that  one  or  two  teaching 
officers  in  a  Church,  who  are  obliged  to  give  them- 
selves unto  the  word  and  prayer,  to  labour  in  the 
word  and  doctrine,  to  preach  in  and  out  of  season, 
would  be  able  to  take  care  of,  and  attend  with  dili- 
gence unto,  all  those  things  that  do  evidently  be- 
long unto  the  rule  of  the  Church.  And  iience  it 
is,  that  Churches  at  this  day  do  live  on  the  preach- 
ing of  the  word,  and  are  very  little  sensible  of  the 


ARE   NECESSARY.  \^\ 

wisdom,  goodness,  love,  and  care  of  Christ  in  the 
institution  of  this  rule  in  the  Church,  nor  are  par- 
takers of  the  benefits  of  it  unto  their  edification. 
And  the  supply  which  many  have  hitherto  made 
herein,  by  persons  either  unacquainted  with  their 
duty,  or  insensible  of  their  own  authority,  or  cold, 
if  not  negligent  in  their  work,  doth  not  answer  the 
end  of  their  institution.  And  hence  it  is,  that  the 
authority  of  government,  and  the  benefit  of  it,  are 
ready  to  be  lost  in  most  churches.  And  it  is  both 
vainly  and  presumptuously  pleaded,  to  give  coun- 
tenance unto  a  neglect  of  their  order,  that  some 
Churches  do  walk  in  love  and  peace,  and  are  edi- 
fied without  it;  supplying  some  defects  by  the 
prudent  aid  of  some  members  of  them.  For  it  is 
nothing  but  a  preference  of  our  own  wisdom,  unto 
the  wisdom  and  authority  of  Christ;  or  at  best  an 
unwillingness  to  make  a  venture  on  the  warranty 
of  his  rule,  for  fear  of  some  disadvantages  that  may 
ensue  thereon.""* 

If,  in  order  to  avoid  the  evils  of  the  Pastor 
standing  alone  in  the  inspection  and  government 
of  his  Church,  it  be  alleged  that  the  whole  body 
of  the  Church  members  may  be  his  auxiliaries  in 
this  arduous  work  ;  still  the  difliculties  are  neither 
removed  nor  diminished. 

For,  in  the  first  place,  a  great  majority  of  all 
Church  members,  we  may  confidently  say,  are 
altogether  unqualified  for  rendering  the  aid  to  the 
Pastor  which  is  here  contemplated.  They  have 
neither  the  knowledge,  the  wisdom,  nor  the  pru- 
dence necessary  for  the  purpose;  and  to  imagine 
a  case  of  ecclesiastical  regimen,  in  which  every 
weak,  childish,   and  indiscreet  individual,   who,. 

*  True  Nature  of  a  Gospel  Church,  p.  177,  178. 
16 


J §2  RULING    ELDERS 

though  serious  and  well-meaning  enough  to  enjoy 
the  privilege  of  Christian  communion,  is  wholly 
unfit  to  be  an  inspector  and  ruler  of  others,  should 
be  associaied  with  the  Pastor,  in  conducting  the 
delicate  and  arduous  work  of  parochial  regulation, 
is  too  preposterous  to  be  regarded  with  favour,  by 
any  judicious  mind.  Can  it  be  believed  for  a  mo- 
ment, that  the  all-wise  Head  of  the  Church  has 
appointed  a  form  of  government  for  his  people  in 
which  ignorance,  weakness,  and  total  unfitness  for 
the  duty  assigned  them,  should  always,  and  almost 
necessarily,  characterize  a  great  majority  of  thise 
to  whom  the  oversight  and  guidance  of  the  Church 
were  committed  ?  Surely  this  is  altogether  incre- 
dible. 

And  if  this  consideration  possess  weight  in  re- 
gard to  old  and  settled  C'hurches,  established  in 
countries  which  have  been  long  favoured  with  the 
light  and  order  of  the  Gospel ;  how  much  more  to 
Pagan  lands,  and  to  Churcthos  recendy  gathered 
from  the  wilds  of  Africa,  tlie  degraded  inhabitants 
of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  or  the  miserable  devotees 
of  Hindoo  idolatry?  If  in  the  best  instructed  and 
best  regulated  Churches  in  Christendom,  a  majo- 
rity of  the  members  are  utterly  unqualified  to  par- 
ticipate in  the  government  of  the  sacred  family  ; 
what  can  be  expected  of  those  recent,  and  neces- 
'sarily  dubious  converts  from  blind  heathenism, 
who  must,  of  course,  be  babes  in  knowledge  and 
experience,  who  are  surrounded  with  ignorance 
and  brutality,  and  have  just  been  snatched  them- 
selves from  the  same  degradation?  Surely,  if  we 
may  say,  with  propriety,  of  some  nations,  who 
have  recendy  thrown  oflf  the  chains  of  slavery,  to 
which  they  had  long  been  accustomed,  that  they 
were  not  prepared  for  a  republican  form  of  govern- 


ARE    NECESSARY.  |  g3 

ment;  with  still  more  confidence  can  we  maintain, 
that,  whoever  may  be  prepared  to  take  part  in  the 
government  of  the  Church,  the  poor  novices,  in 
the  situation  supposed,  are  totally  unqualified. 
Even  if  the  popular  form  of  ecclesiastical  polity 
could  be  considered  as  well  adapted  to  the  case  of 
a  people  of  more  enlightened  and  elevated  charac- 
ter, which  may  well  be  questioned  ;  it  must  be 
pronounced  altogether  unfit  for  a  Church  made  up 
of  such  materials.  Now  it  is  the  glory  of  the 
Gospel,  that  it  is  adapted  to  all  people,  and  all 
states  of  society.  Of  course,  that  form  of  ecclesi- 
astical government  which  is  not  of  a  similar  stamp, 
aflTords  much  ground  of  suspicion  that  it  is  not  of 
God,  and  ought  to  be  rejected. 

But  further;  if  the  greater  part  of  the  members 
of  the  Church  were  much  better  qualified  than 
they  commonly  are,  for  co-operating  in  its  govern- 
ment, would  their  co-operation  be  likely  to  be 
really  obtained  in  a  prompt,  steady,  and  faithful 
manner?  All  experience  pronounces  that  it  would 
not.  We  know  that  there  are  few  things,  in  the 
government  and  regulation  of  the  Church,  more 
irksome  to  our  natural  feelings,  than  doing  what 
fidelity  requires  in  cases  of  discipline.  When 
the  ministers  of  religion  are  called  upon  to  dis- 
pense truth,  to  instruct,  to  exhort,  and  to  administer 
sacram.enis,  they  engage  in  that  in  which  we  may 
suppose  pious  men  habitually  to  delight,  and  to  be 
always  ready  to  proceed  with  alacrity.  But  we 
may  say  of  the  business  of  ecclesiastical  discipline, 
that  it  is  the  "  strange  work,"  even  of  the  pious 
and  faithful.  It  is,  in  its  own  nature,  an  unac- 
ceptable and  unwelcome  employment.  To  take 
cognizance  of  delinquencies  in  faith  or  practice; 
to  admonish  oflfenders  ;  to  call  them,  when  neces- 


Ig4  RULING   ELDERS 

sary,  before  the  proper  tribunal;  to  seek  out  and 
array  proof  with  fidelity;  to  drag  insidious  error, 
and  artful  wickedness  fronn  their  hiding  places; 
and  to  suspend,  or  excommunicate  from  the  privi- 
leges of  the  Church,  when  the  honour  of  religion, 
and  the  best  interests  of  the  body  of  Christ,  call 
for  these  measures ; — is  painful  work  to  every  be- 
nevolent mjnd.  It  is  work  in  which  no  man  is 
willing  to  engage,  unless  constrained  by  a  sense  of 
duly.  Even  those  who  are  bound  by  official  ob- 
ligation to  undertake  the  task,  are  too  apt  to  shrink 
from  it ;  but  where  there  is  no  particular  obligation 
lying  on  any  one  member  of  the  Church  more  than 
another  to  lake  an  active  interest  in  this  work — 
the  consequence  will  probably  be,  that  few  will 
be  disposed  to  engage  in  the  self-denying  duly. 
Where  all  are  equally  bound,  all  may  be  equally 
backward,  or  negligent,  without  feeling  themselves 
chargeable  with  any  special  delinquency.  And, 
what  is  worthy  of  notice,  those  who  will  be  most 
apt  to  go  forward  in  this  work,  and  proffer  their 
aid  with  most  readiness,  will  generally  be  the  bold, 
the  vain,  the  ardent,  the  rash,  the  impetuous ; — 
precisely  those  who  are,  of  all  persons  living,  the 
most  unfit  for  such  an  employment.  But  even  if 
it  wei'e  otherwise ;  if  all  the  members  of  the  Church 
were  equally  forward  and  active,  what  might  be  ex- 
pected in  a  religious  community,  when  every  mem- 
ber of  that  community  was  equally  a  ruler;  and 
when  the  most  ignorant  and  childish  busy-body 
among  them,  might  be  continually  tampering  with 
its  government,  and  fomenting  disturbances,  with 
as  much  potency  as  the  most  intelligent  and  wise  ? 
The  truth  is,  in  such  a  community,  tranquillity, 
order,  and  peace,  could  scarcely  be  expected,  long 
together,  to  have  any  place. 


ARE  NECESSARY.  185 

We  could  scarcely  have  a  more  instructive  com- 


ment on  these  remarks  than  the  practice  of  those 
Churches  which  reject  Ruling  Elders.  Our  Epis- 
copal brethren  reject  them.  But  they  are  obliged 
to  have  their  Vestrymen  and  Church  Wardens, 
who,  though  no  divine  warrant  is  claimed  for  them, 
and  they  are  not  set  apart  in  the  same  manner,  or 
formally  invested  with  the  same  powers  M'ith  our 
Ruling  Elders,  yet  they  perform  many  of  the  same 
functions,  in  substance,  and  are,  in  fact,  official 
counsellors  and  helps.  True,  indeed,  these  officers 
are  not  clothed  with  the  power,  and  seldom  per- 
form any  acts,  of  ecclesiastical  discipline,  properly 
so  called,  yet  they  may  be,  and  sometimes,  per- 
haps, are,  consulted  on  subjects  of  this  nature. 
And,  where  this  is  not  the  case,  we  may  say,  with- 
out impropriety,  that,  in  Churches  of  that  denomi-  . 
nation,  no  discipline  is  exercised.  In  the  Church  / 
of  England,  as  is  confessed  on  all  hands,  no  scrip- 
tural discipline  exists.  The  most  profligate  and 
vile  are  not  excluded  from  the  communion  of  the 
establishment.  This  is  deeply  lamented  by  many 
of  the  pious  members  of  that  establishment ;  and 
at  an  early  period,  after  the  commencement  of  the 
Reformation  in  that  country,  it  was  earnestly 
wished  and  proposed,  as  we  have  seen  in  a  preced- 
ing chapter,  to  introduce  Ruling  Elders,  as  a  prin- 
cipal means  of  restoring  and  maintaining  discip- 
line. And  although  the  absence  of  discipline  does 
not  exist,  to  the  same  extent,  in  the  Churches  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  denomination  in  the 
United  States;  yet,  it  may  be  altogether  wanting, 
as  to  any  pure  and  efficient  exercise,  in  all  those 
Episcopal  Churches  in  which  some  leading,  pious 
laymen  are  not  habitually  consulted  and  employed 
in  maintaining  it,    A  pious  minister,  indeed,  of  that 


\QQ  RULING    ELDERS 

denomination,  may  and  does,  conform  to  his  ru- 
brics, in  giving  the  people  proper  instruction  and 
warning,  as  to  a  suitable  approach  to  the  com- 
munion which  he  dispenses.  But  here  he  is  com- 
monly obliged  to  stop;  or,  at  any  rate,  does,  in 
practice,  usually  stop.  All  efficient  inspection  of 
the  moral  condition  of  the  whole  Church,  admon- 
ishing the  careless,  bringing  back  the  wanderers, 
and  causing  those  who  persist  in  error  or  in  vice, 
to  feel  the  discipline  of  ecclesiastical  correction,  is, 
notoriously,  almost  unknown  in  the  Churches  of 
the  denomination  to  which  we  refer.  And  this  de- 
ficiency is,  manifestly,  not  owing  to  the  want  of 
intelligent  and  conscientious  piety  in  many  of  the 
ministers  of  those  Churches  ;  but,  beyond  all  doubt, 
to  the  entire  want  of  an  organization  which  alone 
renders  the  exercise  of  a  faithful  and  impartial  dis- 
cipline at  all  practicable. 

Our  Congregational  brethren  also  reject  Ruling 
Elders.  Yet  it  is  well  known  that,  while  they 
adopt  a  form  of  government  which,  in  theory,  al- 
lows to  every  member  of  the  Church  an  equal 
share  in  the  exercise  of  discipline  ;  their  most  ju- 
dicious Pastors,  warned  by  painful  experience  of 
the  troublesome  character,  and  uncertain  issues, 
of  popular  management,  in  delicate  and  difficult 
cases  which  involve  Christian  character — are  care- 
ful to  have  a  Committee  of  the  most  pious,  intelli- 
gent, and  prudent  of  their  Church  members,  who 
consider  each  case  of  discipline  before-hand  in  pri- 
vate, and  prepare  it  for  a  public  decision;  and  thus 
perform,  in  fact,  some  of  the  most  important  of  the 
duties  of  Ruling  Elders.  This  is  what  the  vene- 
rable Dr.  Cotton  Mather,  doubtless,  means  when 
he  says,  as  quoted  in  a  preceding  chapter,  that 
"  there  are  (ew  discreet  Pastors  but  what  make 


ARE   NECESSARlf.  Ig7 

many  occasional  Ruling  Elders  every  year;"  and 
when  he  gives  it  as  his  opinion,  in  the  same 
connexion,  that  without  something  of  this  kind, 
Churches  must  suffer  unspeakably  with  respect  to 
discipline.  And,  where  nothing  of  this  kind  is  done, 
the  experience  of  Independent  and  Congregational 
Churches,  in  conducting  discipline,  it  is  well  known, 
is  often  such  as  is  calculated  to  give  deep  and  last- 
ing pain  to  those  who  love  the  peace  and  order  of 
the  Church.  Strife,  tumult,  and  division  of  the 
most  distressing  kind,  are  often  the  consequence 
of  attempting  to  rid  the  Cliurch  of  one  corrupt 
member. 

But  perhaps  it  will  be  said,  let  the  Pastor  habi- 
tually call  to  his  aid,  in  conducting  the  discipline 
of  the  Church,  a  few  of  the  most  judicious  and 
pious  of  his  communicants  ;  those  whom  he  knows 
to  be  most  conscientious  and  wise  in  counsel. 
But  neither  is  this  an  adequate  remedy.  The 
Pastor  may  consult  such  if  he  please.  But  he  may 
choose  to  omit  it,  and  be  governed  entirely  by  his 
own  counsels.  Or,  if  he  consult  any,  he  may 
always  select  his  particular  friends,  who  he  knows, 
will  encourage  and  support  him  in  his  favourite 
measures  ;  thus  furnishing  no  real  relief  in  the  end. 
How  much  better  to  have  a  bench  of  assistant 
Rulers,  regularly  chosen  by  the  people,  and  with 
whom  he  shall  be  bound  to  take  counsel  in  all  im- 
portant measures. 

Thus  it  is  that  those  Churches  which  reject  the 
class  of  officers  which  it  is  the  object  of  this  Essay 
to  recommend,  do  practically  bear  witness  that  it 
is  impossible  to  conduct  discipline  in  a  satisfactory 
manner,  without  having  a  set  of  individuals,  virtu- 
ally, if  not  formally,  vested  with  similar  powers. 
Where  no  such  efficient  substitute  is  employed, 


]88  RULING   ELDERS 

discipline  is  either  in  a  great  measure  neglected; 
or  its  maintenance  is  attended  with  inconveniences 
of  the  most  serious  kind.  In  other  words,  the 
opponents  of  Ruling  Elders  are  obliged  either  to 
neglect  discipline  altogether,  or,  for  maintaining  it, 
to  have  recourse  to  auxiliaries  of  similar  character 
and  power,  while  they  deny  that  there  is  any  di- 
vine warrant  for  them.  Now,  is  it  probable^  is  it 
f  '•edible,  that  our  blessed  Lord,  and  all- wise  King 
L  id  Head  of  his  Church,  and  his  Apostles,  guided 
by  his  own  Spirit,  should  entirely  overlook  this 
necessity,  and  make  no  provision  for  it?  It  is  not 
credible.  We  must,  then,  either  suppose,  that 
some  such  officers  as  those  in  question  were  di- 
vinely appointed  ;  or  that  means,  acknowledged  by 
the  practice  of  all  to  be  indispensable  in  conduct- 
ing the  best  interests  of  the  Church  were  forgotten 
or  neglected  by  her  divine  Head  and  Lord.  Surely 
the  latter  cannot  be  imputed  to  infinite  Wisdom. 

There  are  some,  however,  who  acknowledge 
that  there  ought  to  be,  and  must  be,  in  every 
Church,  in  order  to  the  efficient  maintenance  of 
discipline,  a  plurality  of  Elders.  They  confess 
that  such  a  body  or  bench  of  Elders  was  found  in 
the  Jewish  Synagogue ;  that  a  similar  Eldership 
existed  in  the  primitive  Church;  and  that  the 
scriptural  government  of  a  Christian  congregation 
cannot  be  conducted  to  advantage  without  it.  But 
they  contend  that  these  Presbyters,  or  Elders, 
ought  all  to  be  of  the  teaching  class  ;  that  there  is 
no  ground  for  the  distinction  between  Teaching 
and  Ruling  Elders ;  that  every  Church  ought  to 
be  furnished  with  three  or  more  ministers,  all 
equally  authorized  to  preach,  to  administer  the  sa- 
craments, and  to  bear  rule. 

It  requires  little  discernment  to  see  that  this  plan 


ARE   NECESSARY.  \S9 

is  wholly  impracticable;  and  that  if  attempted  to 
be  carried  into  execution,  the  effect  must  be,  either 
to  destroy  the  Church,  or  to  degrade,  and  ulti- 
mately to  prostrate  the  ministry.  It  is  with  no 
small  difficulty  that  most  Churches  are  enabled  to 
procure  and  support  one  qualified  and  acceptable 
minister.  Very  few  would  be  able  to  afford  a  suit- 
able support  to  two ;  and  none  but  those  of  extra- 
ordinary wealth,  could  think  seriously  of  under- 
taking to  sustain  three  or  more.  If,  therefore,  the 
principal  of  a  plurality  of  Teaching  Elders  in  each 
Church  were  deemed  indispensable;  and  if  a  re- 
gular and  adequate  training  for  the  sacred  ofRce, 
were  also,  as  now  insisted  on ;  and  if  it  were,  at 
the  same  time,  considered  as  necessary  that  every 
minister  should  receive  a  competent  pecuniary 
support;  the  consequence,  as  is  perfectly  manifest, 
would  be,  that  nineteen  out  of  twenty  of  our 
Churches  would  be  utterly  unable  to  maintain  the 
requisite  organization,  and  must,  of  course,  be- 
come extinct.  Nay,  the  regular  establishment  of 
Gospel  ordinances,  in  pastoral  Churches,  would 
be  physically  possible  only  in  a  very  few  great 
cities,  or  wealthy  neighbourhoods.  Surely  this 
cannot  be  the  system  enjoined  by  that  Saviour  who 
said,  "to  the  poor  the  Gospel  is  preached." 

The  only  remedy  for  this  difficulty  would  be  to 
reduce  the  preparation  and  acquirements  for  the 
ministry;  to  make  choice  of  plain,  illiterate  men 
for  this  office;  men  of  small  intellectual  and  theo- 
logical furniture;  dependant  on  secular  employ- 
ments for  a  subsistence;  and,  therefore,  needing 
little  or  no  support  from  the  Churches  which  they 
serve.  This  is  the  plan  upon  which  several  sects 
of  Christians  proceed ;  and  it  is  easy  to  see  that, 
upon  this  plan,  the  feeblest  Churches  may  have  a 


190  RULING   ELDERS 

plurality  of  such  ministers  as  these,  and,  indeed, 
any  number  of  them  without  being  burdened  by 
their  pecuniary  support.  But  then,  it  is  equally 
evident,  that  the  execution  of  this  plan  must  result 
in"  degrading  the  ministerial  character,  and  in 
finally  banishing  all  well  qualified  ministers  from 
the  Church.  They  could  no  longer  be  "  able 
ministers  of  the  New  Testament,  workmen  that 
need  not  be  ashamed."  They  could  no  longer 
"give  themselves  wholly"  to  the  labours  of  the 
sacred  office.  They  could  no  longer  "give  them- 
selves to  reading,"  as  well  as  to  exhortation  and 
teaching.  In  short,  the  inevitable  consequence  of 
maintaining,  as  some  do,  that  there  must  be  a 
bench,  that  is,  a  plurality  of  Elders,  in  every 
Church,  for  the  purpose  of  inspection  and  govern- 
ment, as  well  as  of  teaching;  and,  at  the  same 
time,  that  all  these  Elders  must  be  of  the  same 
class,  that  is,  that  they  must  all  be  equally  set 
apart  for  teaching  and  ruling,  cannot  fail  to  be,  to 
bring  the  ministerial  character,  and,  of  course,  ulti- 
mately, the  religion  which  the  ministry  is  destined 
to  explain  and  recommend,  into  general  contempt. 
The  Sandemanians,  and  a  few  other  sects,  have, 
substantially,  held  the  opinion,  and  made  the  ex- 
periment here  stated  :  and  invariably,  it  is  believed, 
with  the  result  which  has  been  represented  as  una- 
voidable. 

To  obviate  these  difficulties,  some  have  said, 
let  Deacons,  whom  all  ajjree  to  be  scriptural  ofli- 
cers,  be  employed  to  assist  the  Pastor  in  conduct- 
ing the  government  and  discipline  of  the  Church. 
This  proposal,  together  with  some  principles  con- 
nected with  it,  will  be  considered  in  a  subsequent 
chapter.  All  that  it  is  deemed  necessary  or  proper 
to  say  in  this  place,  is,  that  an  entirely  diff'erent 


ARE   NECESSARY.  ]9| 

sphere  of  duly  is  assigned  to  Deacons  in  the  New 
Testament.  No  hint  is  given  of  their  being  em- 
ployed in  the  government  of  the  Church.  For  this 
proposal,  therefore,  there  is  not  the  shadow  of  a 
divine  warrant.  Besides,  if  we  assign  to  Deacons 
the  real  office,  in  other  words,  the  appropriate 
functions  of  Ruling  Elders,  what  is  this  but  grant- 
ing the  thing,  and  only  disputing  about  the  title? 
If  it  be  granted,  that  there  ought  to  be  a  plurality 
of  officers  in  every  Church,  whose  appropriate 
duty  it  is  to  assist  the  Pastor  in  inspecting  and 
ruling  the  flock  of  Christ,  it  is  the  essence  of  what 
is  contended  for.  Their  proper  title  is  not  worth 
a  contest,  except  so  far  as  it  may  be  proper  to  imi- 
tate the  language  of  Scripture. 

If,  then,  the  maintenance  of  discipline  be  essen- 
tial to  the  purity  and  edification  of  the  Church;  if 
enlightened,  impartial,  and  efficient  inspection  and 
discipline,  especially  over  a  large  congregation, 
cannot  possibly  be  maintained  by  the  Pastor  alone; 
if  it  would  be  unsafe,  and  probably  mischievous  in 
its  influence  on  all  concerned,  to  devolve  the  whole 
authority  and  responsibility  of  conducting  the  go- 
vernment of  a  Church  on  a  single  individual ;  if  it 
would,  especially,  in  all  probability,  essentially 
injure  the  clerical  character  to  be  thus  systemati- 
cally, made  the  depository  of  so  much  power, 
without  control,  and  without  appeal ;  if  every  other 
mode  of  furnishing  each  Church  with  a  plurality 
of  rulers,  besides  that  for  which  we  contend,  would 
either  deprive  a  great  majority  of  our  Churches  of 
the  means  of  grace  altogether  ;  or,  by  bringing 
ministers  within  their  reach,  reduce  and  degrade 
the  ministerial  office  far  below  the  standard  which 
the  Scriptures  require:  If  these  things  be  so,  then 
we  are  conducted  unavoidably  to  the  conclusion, 


J  92  RULING  ELDEB8 

that  such  officers  as  those  for  which  we  contend, 
are  absolutely  necessary:  that,  although  a  Church 
may  exist,  and,  for  a  time,  may  flourish  without 
them;  yet,  tliat  the  best  interests  of  the  Church 
cannot  be  systematically  and  steadfastly  pursued 
without  those  or  some  other  officers  of  equivalent 
powers  and  duties. 

But  all  the  difficulties  which  have  been  supposed, 
are  obviated,  and  all  the  advantages  referred  to,  at- 
tained, by  the  plan  of  employing  a  judicious  class 
of  Ruling  Elders  in  each  Church,  to  assist  in  coun- 
sel and  in  government.  In  this  plan  we  have  pro- 
vided a  body  of  grave,  pious,  and  prudent  men,  as- 
sociated with  the  Pastor;  chosen  out  of  the  body 
of  the  Church  members;  carrying  with  them,  in 
some  measure,  the  feelings  and  views  of  their  con- 
stituents ;  capable  of  counselling  the  Pastor  in  all 
delicate  and  doubtful  cases ;  counteracting  any 
undue  influence,  or  course  of  measures  into  which 
his  partiality,  prejudice,  or  want  of  information 
mi?ht  betray  him;  exonerating  him  at  once  from 
the  odium,  and  the  temptation  of  having  all  the 
power  of  the  Church  in  his  own  hands;  conduct- 
ing the  difficult  cases  which  often  arise  in  the 
exercise  of  discipline  with  the  intelligence,  calm- 
ness, and  wisdom,  which  cannot  be  expected  to 
prevail  in  a  promiscuous  body  of  communicants  ; 
and,  in  a  word,  securing  to  each  Church  all  the 
principal  advantages  which  might  be  expected  to  re- 
sult from  being  under  the  pastoral  care  of  four  or  five 
ministers,  vested  with  plenary  preaching  as  well  as 
ruling  power;  without,  at  the  same  time  burdening 
the  Church  with  the  pecuniary  support  of  such  a 
number  of  ordinary  Pastors.  In  a  word,  the  in- 
superable difficulty  of  doing  without  this  class  of 
officers,  on  the  one  hand ;  the  great  and  manifest  ad- 


ARE  NECESSARY.  193 

vantages  of  having  them,  on  the  other;  and  the 
perfect  accordance  of  the  plan  which  includes  them, 
with  that  great  representative  system,  which  has 
pervaded  all  well  regulated  society,  from  its  earliest 
existence,  and  received  the  stamp  of  divine  appro- 
bation— form  a  mass  of  testimony  in  favour  of  the 
office  before  us,  which,  independently  of  other 
considerations,  seems  amply  sufficient  to  support 
its  claims. 

I  shall  close  this  chapter  with  the  following  ex- 
tract from  Dr.  Owen,  when  speaking  of  the  im-  i/ 
portance  and  necessity  of  the  office  of  Ruling  El- 
ders in  the  Church.  "It  is  evident,"  says  he, 
"  that  neither  the  purity  nor  the  order,  nor  the 
beauty  or  glory  of  the  Churches  of  Christ,  nor  the 
representation  of  his  own  majesty  and  authority 
in  the  government  of  them,  can  long  be  preserved 
without  a  multiplication  of  Elders  in  them,  accord- 
ing to  the  proportion  of  their  respective  members, 
for  their  rule  and  guidance.  And  for  want  hereof 
have  Churches  of  old,  and  of  late,  either  dege- 
nerated into  anarchy  and  confusion,  their  self-rule 
being  managed  with  vain  disputes  and  janglings, 
unto  their  division  and  ruin  ;  or  else  given  up 
themselves  unto  the  domination  of  some  prelatical 
teachers,  to  rule  them  at  their  pleasure,  which 
proved  the  bane  and  poison  of  all  the  primitive 
Churches;  and  they  will  and  must  do  so  in  the 
neglect  of  this  order  for  the  future.''* 

We  have  thus  completed  our  view  of  the  first 
part  of  the  inquiry  before  us,  viz. :  our  warrant  for 
the  office  of  Ruling  Elders.  If  this  office  were 
found  in  the  Old  Testament  economy ; — if  it  plain- 
ly had  a  place  in  the  apostolic  Church ; — if  a  num- 

*  Owen's  True  Nature  of  a  Gospel  Church,  4to.  p.  178. 


J  94  NATURE    AND    DUTIES 

ber  of  the  early  Fathers  evidently  recognise  its 
existence  in  their  day; — if  the  Witnesses  for  the 
truth,  in  the  darkest  times,  and  the  great  body  of 
the  Reformers,  sanctioned  and  retained  it,  as  of 
divine  appointment; — if  some  of  the  most  learned 
Episcopal  and  Independent  divines,  since  the  Re- 
formation, have  borne  decisive  testimony  to  this 
office,  as  of  apostolical  authority; — and  if  some 
such  office  be  manifestly  indispensable  to  the  pu- 
rity and  order  of  the  Church  ; — we  may  confi- 
dently conclude  that  our  warrant  for  it  is  complete. 


CHAPTER  IX.' 

THE    NATURE    AND    DUTIES    OF   THE   OFFICE. 

Having  considered,  so  much  at  large,  the  warrant 
for  the  office  of  Ruling  Elder,  chiefly  because  there 
is  no  part  of  the  subject  more  contested  ;  we  now 
proceed  to  other  points  connected  with  the  general 
inquiry.  And  the  first  of  these  which  presents 
itself  is,  the  Nature  and  Duties  of  the  office  in 
question. 

The  essential  character  of  the  officer  of  whom 
we  speak  is,  that  of  an  Ecclesiastical  Ruler.  "  He 
that  ruleth,  let  him  do  it  with  diligence,"  is  the 
summary  of  his  appropriate  functions,  as  laid  down 
in  Scripture.  The  Teaching  Elder  is,  indeed,  also 
a  ruler.  In  addition  to  this,  however,  he  is  called 
to  preach  the  gospel,  and  administer  sacraments. 
But  the  particular  department  assigned  to  the  Rul- 
ing Elder  is  to  cooperate  wiili  the  Pastor  in  spi- 
ritual inspection  and  government.  The  Scriptures, 
as  we  have  seen,  speak  not  only  of  "  Pastors  and 


OF   THE    OFFICE.  195 

Teachers,"  but  also  of  "  governments  ;" — of  "  El- 
ders that  rule  well,  but  do  not  labour  in  the  word 
and  doctrine." 

There  is  an  obvious  analogy  between  the  office 
of  Ruler  in  the  Church,  and  in  the  civil  connmunity . 
A  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  the  latter,  has  a  wide  and 
important  range  of  duties.  Besides  the  function 
which  he  discharges  when  called  to  take  his  part 
on  the  bench  of  the  judicial  court  in  which  he  pre- 
sides, he  may  be,  and  often  is,  employed  every 
day,  though  less  publicly,  in  correcting  abuses, 
compelling  the  fraudulent  to  do  justice,  restraining, 
arresting,  and  punishing  criminals,  and,  in  general, 
carrying  into  execution  the  laws,  formed  to  pro- 
mote public  tranquillity  and  order,  which  he  has 
sworn  to  administer  faithfully. 

Sirikinoily  analagous  to  this,  are  the  duties  of  the 
ecclesiastical  Ruler.  He  has  no  power,  indeed,  to 
employ  the  secular  arm  in  restraining  or  punishing 
offenders  against  the  laws  of  Christ.  The  kingdom 
under  which  he  acts,  and  the  authority  which  he 
administers,  are  not  of  this  world.  He  has,  of 
course,  no  right  to  fine,  imprison,  or  externally  to 
molest  the  most  profligate  oflenders  against  the 
Church's  purity  or  peace;  unless  they  be  guilty 
of  what  is  technically  called,  "  breaking  the  peace," 
that  is,  violating  the  civil  rights  of  others,  and  thus 
rendering  themselves  liable  to  the  penalty  of  the 
civil  law.  And  even  when  this  occurs,  the  eccle- 
siastical ruler,  as  such,  has  no  right  to  proceed 
against  the  offender.  He  has  no  other  than  moral 
power.  He  must  apply  to  the  civil  magistrate  for 
redress,  who  can  only  punish  for  breaking  the  civil 
law.  Still  there  is  an  obvious  analogy  between  his 
office  and  that  of  the  civil  magistrate.  Both  are 
alike  an  ordinance  of  God.     Both  are  necessary  to 


196  KATUBE   AND   DUTIES 

social  order  and  comfort.  And  both  are  regulated 
by  principles  which  commend  themselves  to  the 
good  sense  and  the  conscience  of  those  who  wish 
well  to  social  happiness. 

The  Ruling  Elder,  no  less  than  the  Teaching 
Elder,  or  Pastor,  is  to  be  considered  as  acting 
under  the  authority  of  Christ,  in  all  that  he  right- 
fully does.  If  the  office  of  which  we  speak  was 
appointed  in  the  apostolic  Church  by  infinite  wis- 
dom ;  if  it  be  an  ordinance  of  Jesus  Christ,  just  as 
much  as  that  of  the  minister  of  the  gospel ;  then 
the  former,  equally  with  the  latter,  is  Christ's 
officer.  He  has  a  right  to  speak  and  act  in  his 
name ;  and  though  elected  by  the  members  of  the 
Church,  and  representing  them,  in  the  exercise  of 
ecclesiastical  rule ;  yet  he  is  not  to  be  considered 
as  deriving  his  authority  to  rule  from  them,  any 
more  than  he  who  "  labours  in  the  word  and  doc- 
trine" derives  his  authority  to  preach  and  admi- 
nister other  ordinances,  from  the  people  who  make 
choice  of  him  as  their  teacher  and  guide.  There 
is  reason  to  believe  that  some,  even  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  take  a  different  view  of  this  subject. 
They  regard  the  Teaching  Elder  as  an  officer  of 
Christ,  and  listen  to  his  official  instructions  as  to 
those  of  a  man  appointed  by  Him,  and  coming  in 
his  name.  But  with  respect  to  the  Ruling  Elder, 
they  are  wont  to  regard  him  as  one  who  holds  an 
office  instituted  by  human  prudence  alone,  and, 
therefore,  as  standing  on  very  different  ground  in 
the  discharge  of  his  official  duties,  from  that  which 
is  occupied  by  the  "  ambassador  of  Christ."  This 
is  undoubtedly  an  erroneous  view  of  the  subject, 
and  a  view  which,  so  far  as  it  prevails,  is  adapted 
to  exert  the  most  mischievous  influence.  The 
truth  is,  if  the  office  of  which  we  speak  be  of 


OF   THE  OFFICE.  197 

apostolic  authority,  we  are  just  as  much  bound  to 
sustain,  honour,  and  obey  the  individual  who  fills 
it,  and  d  scharges  its  duties  according  to  the  Scrip- 
lures,  as  we  are  to  submit  to  any  other  officer  or 
institution  of  our  Divine  Redeemer. 

We  are  by  no  means,  then,  to  consider  Ruling 
Elders  as  a  mere  ecclesiastical  convenience,  or  as 
a  set  of  counsellors  whom  the  wisdom  of  man 
alone  has  chosen,  and  who  may,  therefore,  be  re- 
verenced and  obeyed,  as  little,  or  as  much,  as  hu- 
man caprice  may  think  proper;  but  as  bearing  an 
office  of  divine  appointment — as  the  "  ministers  of 
God  for  good"  to  his  Church — and  whose  lawful 
and  regular  acts  ought  to  command  our  conscien- 
tious obedience. 

The  Ruling  Elders  of  each  Church  are  called  to 
attend  to  a  public  and  formal,  or  to  a  more  private 
sphere  of  duty. 

With  regard  to  the  first,  or  the  public  and  formal 
duties  of  their  office,  ihey  form,  in  the  Church  to 
which  ihey  belong,  a  bench  or  judicial  Court, 
called  among  us  the  '*  Church  Session,"  and  in 
some  other  Presbyterian  denominations,  the  Con- 
sistory ;  both  expressions  importing  a  body  of  eccle- 
siastical men,  sitting  and  acting  together,  as  the  re- 
presentatives, and  for  the  benefit  of  the  Church. 
This  body  of  Elders,  with  the  Pastor  at  their  head, 
and  presiding  at  their  meetings,  form  a  judicial 
assembly,  by  which  all  the  spiritual  interests  of 
the  congregation  are  to  be  watched  over,  regulated, 
and  authoritatively  determined.  Accordingly,  it  is 
declared  in  the  ninth  chapter  of  our  Form  of  Go- 
vernment— "The  Church  Session  is  charged  with 
maintaining  the  spiritual  government  of  the  con- 
gregation;  for  which  purpose  they  have  power  to 
inquire  into  the  knowledge  and  Christian  conduct 
17 


198  NATURE   AND   DUTIES 

of  the  members  of  the  Church;  to  call  before  them 
offenders  and  witnesses,  bein^  members  of  their 
own  congregation,  and  to  introduce  other  witnesses, 
where  it  may  be  necessary  to  bring  the  process  to 
issue,  and  when  they  can  be  procured  to  attend ;  to 
receive  members  into  the  Church  ;  to  admonish,  to 
rebuke,  to  suspend,  or  exclude  from  the  sacra- 
ments, those  who  are  found  to  deserve  censure ; 
to  concert  the  best  measures  for  promoting  the 
spiritual  interests  of  the  congregation ;  and  to  ap- 
point delegates  to  the  higher  judicatories  of  the 
Church." 

This  general  statement  of  the  powers  and  duties 
of  the  Church  Session,  it  will  be  perceived,  takes 
in  a  wide  range.  Or  rather,  to  speak  more  pro- 
perly, it  embraces  the  whole  of  that  authority  and 
duty  with  which  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  has 
been  pleased  to  invest  the  governing  powers  of 
each  particular  congregation,  for  the  instruction, 
edification  and  comfort  of  the  whole  body.  To  the 
Church  Session  it  belongs  to  bind  and  loose ;  to 
admit  to  the  communion  of  the  Church,  with  all 
its  privileges ;  to  take  cognizance  of  all  departure, 
from  the  purity  of  faith  or  practice  ;  to  try,  censure, 
acquit,  or  excommunicate  those  who  are  charged 
with  offences ;  to  consult  and  determine  upon  all 
matters  relating  to  the  time,  place,  and  circum- 
stances of  worship,  and  other  spiritual  concerns ; 
to  take  order  about  catechising  children,  congrega- 
tional Fasts  or  Thanksgiving  days,  and  all  other 
observances,  stated  or  occasional;  to  correct,  as 
far  as  possible,  ever}'-  thing  that  may  tend  to  dis- 
order, or  is  contrary  to  edification ;  and  to  digest 
and  execute  plans  for  promoting  a  spirit  of  inquiry, 
of  reading,  of  prayer,  of  order,  and  of  universal 
holiness  among  the  members  of  the  Church.     It 


OF  THE  OFFICE.  |99 

is  also  incumbent  on  them,  when  the  Church  over 
which  they  preside  is  destitute  of  a  Pastor,  to  take 
the  lead  in  those  measures  which  may  conduce  to 
a  choice  of  a  suitable  candidate,  by  calling  the  peo- 
ple together  for  the  purpose  of  an  election,  when 
they  consider  them  as  prepared  to  make  it  with 
advantage. 

Although,  in  ordinary  cases,  the  Pastor  of  the 
Church  may  be  considered  as  vested  with  the  right 
to  decide  whom  he  will  invite  to  occupy  his  pulpit, 
either  when  he  is  present,  or  occasionally  absent ; 
yet,  in  cases  of  difficulty  or  delicacy,  and  espe- 
cially when  ministers  of  other  denominations  apply 
for  the  use  of  the  pulpit ;  it  is  the  prerogative  of 
the  Church  Session,  to  consider  and  decide  on  the 
application.  And  if  there  be  any  fixed  difference 
of  opinion  between  the  Pastor,  and  the  other  mem- 
bers of  the  Session,  in  reference  to  this  matter, 
it  is  the  privilege  and  duty  of  either  party  to  re- 
quest the  advice  of  their  Presbytery  in  the  case. 

In  the  Church  Session,  whether  the  Pastor  be 
present  and  presiding  or  not,  every  member  has  an 
equal  voice.  The  vote  of  the  most  humble  and 
retiring  Ruling  Elder,  is  of  the  same  avail  as  that 
of  his  Minister.  So  that  no  Pastor  can  carry  any 
measure  unless  he  can  obtain  the  concurrence  of  a 
majority  of  the  Eldership.  And  as  the  whole  spi- 
ritual government  of  each  Church  is  committed  to 
its  bench  of  Elders,  the  Session  is  competent  to 
regulate  every  concern,  and  to  correct  every  thing 
which  they  consider  as  amiss  in  the  arrangements 
or  affairs  of  the  Church,  which  admits  of  correction. 
Every  individual  of  the  Session,  is  of  course,  com- 
petent to  propose  any  new  service,  plan,  or  mea- 
sure, which  he  believes  will  be  for  the  benefit  of 
the  congregation,  and  if  a  majority  of  the  Elders 


200  NATURE   AND   DUTIES 

concur  with  him  in  opinion,  it  may  be  adopted. 
If,  in  any  case,  however,  there  should  be  a  dif- 
ference of  opinion  between  the  Pastor  and  the 
Elders,  as  to  the  propriety  or  practicability  of  any 
measure  proposed,  and  insisted  on  by  the  latter, 
there  is  an  obvious  and  effectual  constitutional  re- 
medy. A  remedy,  however,  which  ought  to  be  re- 
sorted to  with  prudence,  caution,  and  prayer.  The 
opinions  and  wishes  of  the  Pastor  ought,  undoubt- 
edly, to  be  treated  with  the  most  respectful  deli- 
cacy. Still  they  ought  not  to  be  suffered,  when  it 
is  possible  to  avoid  it,  to  stand  in  the  way  of  a  great 
and  manifest  good.  When  such  an  alternative 
occurs,  the  remedy  alluded  to  may  be  applied.  On 
an  amicable  reference  to  the  Presbytery,  that  body 
may  decide  the  ca.'ie  between  the  parlies. 

And  as  the  members  of  the  Church  Session, 
whether  assembled  in  their  judicial  capacity  or 
not,  are  the  Pastor's  Counsellors  and  Colleagues, 
in  all  matters  relating  to  the  spiritual  rule  of  the 
Church  ;  so  it  is  their  official  duty  to  encourage, 
sustain,  and  defend  him,  in  the  faithful  discharge  of 
his  duty.  It  is  deplorable,  when  a  minister  is  as- 
sailed for  his  fidelity,  by  the  profane  or  the  worldly, 
if  any  portion  of  the  Eldership,  either  take  part 
against  him,  or  shrink  from  his  active  and  deter- 
mined defence.  It  is  not  meant,  of  course,  that 
they  are  to  consider  themselves  as  bound  to  sustain 
him  in  every  thing  he  may  say  or  do,  whether 
right  or  wrong;  but  that,  when  they  really  believe 
him  to  be  faithful,  both  to  truth  and  duty,  they 
should  feel  it  to  be  their  duty  to  stand  by  him,  to 
shield  him  from  the  arrows  of  the  wicked,  and  to 
encourage  him,  as  far  as  he  obeys  Christ. 

But  besides  those  duties  wliich  pertain  to  Ruling 
Elders,  with  the  Pastor,  in  their  collective  capa- 


OF   THE   OFFICE.  201 

city,  as  a  Judicatory  of  the  Church ;  there  are 
others  which  are  incumbent  on  them  at  all  times, 
in  the  intervals  of  their  judicial  meetings,  and  by 
the  due  discharge  of  which  they  may  be  constantly 
edifying  the  body  of  Christ.  It  is  their  duty  to 
have  an  eye  of  inspection  and  care  over  all  the 
members  of  the  congregation ;  and,  for  this  pur- 
pose, to  cultivate  a  universal  and  intimate  ac- 
quaintance, as  far  as  may  be,  with  every  family  in 
the  flock  of  which  they  are  made  "  overseers." 
They  are  bound  to  watch  over  the  children  and 
youth,  and  especially  baptized  children,  with  pa- 
ternal vigilance,  recognising  and  aflJectionately 
addressing  them  on  all  proper  occasions ;  giving 
them,  and  their  parents  in  reference  to  them,  sea- 
sonable counsel,  and  putting  in  the  Lord's  claim  to 
their  hearts  and  lives,  as  the  children  of  the  Church. 
It  is  their  duty  to  attend  to  the  case  of  those  who 
are  serious,  and  disposed  to  inquire  concerning 
their  eternal  interest;  to  converse  with  them,  and, 
from  time  to  time,  to  give  information  concerning 
them  to  the  Pastor.  It  is  their  duty  to  take  notice 
of,  and  admonish,  in  private,  those  who  appear  to 
be  growing  careless,  or  falling  into  habits  in  any 
respect  criminal,  suspicious,  or  unpromising.  It  is 
their  duty  to  visit  and  pray  with  the  sick,  as  far 
as  their  circumstances  admit,  and  to  request  the 
attendance  of  the  Pastor  on  the  sick,  and  the  dy- 
ing, when  it  may  be  seasonable  or  desired.  It  is 
incumbent  on  them  to  assist  the  Pastor  in  main- 
taining meetings  for  social  prayer,  to  take  part  in 
conducting  the  devotional  exercises  in  those  meet- 
ings; to  preside  in  them  when  the  Pastor  is  ab- 
sent; and,  if  they  are  endowed  with  suitable  gifts, 
under  his  direction,  occasionally  to  drop  a  word  of 


202  NATURE   AND   DUTIES 

instruction  and  exhortation  to  tlie  people  in  those 
social  meetings.  If  the  ofilcers  of  the  Church 
neglect  these  meetings,  (the  importance  of  which 
cannot  be  estimated,)  there  is  every  reason  to  ap- 
prehend that  they  will  not  be  duly  honoured  or 
attended  by  the  body  of  the  people.  It  is  the  duty 
of  Ruling  JElders,  also,  to  visit  the  members  of  the 
Church  and  their  families,  with  the  Pastor,  if  he 
request  it,  without  him,  if  he  do  not;  to  converse 
with  them;  to  instruct  the  ignorant;  to  confirm 
the  wavering;  to  caution  the  unwary;  to  reclaim 
the  wandering;  to  encourage  the  timid,  and  to  ex- 
cite and  animate  all  classes  to  a  faithful  and  exem- 
plary discharge  of  duty.  It  is  incumbent  on  them 
to  consult  frequently  and  freely  with  their  Pastor, 
on  the  interests  of  the  flock  committed  to  their 
charge  ;  to  aid  him  in  forming  and  executing  plans 
for  the  welfare  of  the  Church  ;  to  give  him,  from 
time  to  time  such  information  as  he  may  need,  to 
enable  him  to  perform  aright  his  various  and  mo- 
mentous duties;  to  impart  to  him,  with  afTectionate 
respect,  their  advice;  to  support  him  with  their 
influence;  to  defend  his  reputation;  to  enforce  his 
just  admonitions ;  and,  in  a  word,  by  every  means 
in  their  power,  to  promote  the  comfort,  and  extend 
the  usefulness  of  his  labours. 

Although  the  Church  Session  is  not  competent 
to  try  the  Pastor,  in  case  of  his  falling  into  any  de- 
linquency, either  of  doctrine  or  practice  ;  yet  if  the 
members  observe  any  such  delinquency,  it  is  not 
only  their  privilege,  but  their  duty,  to  admonish 
him,  tenderly  and  respectfully,  yet  faithfully,  in 
private  ;  and,  if  necessary,  from  time  to  time ;  and, 
if  the  admonition  be  without  efl'ect,  and  they  think 
the  edification  of  the  Church  admits  and  demands 


OF   THE   OFFICE.  203 

a  public  remedy,  they  ought  to  represent  the  case 
to  the  Presbytery,  as  before  suggested  in  other 
cases,  and  request  a  redress  of  the  grievance. 

But  the  functions  of  the  Ruling  Elder  are  not 
confined  to  the  congregation  of  which  he  is  one  of 
the  rulers.  It  is  his  duty  at  such  times,  and  in 
such  order  as  the  constitution  of  the  Church  re- 
quires, to  take  his  seat  in  the  higher  judicatories 
of  the  Church,  and  there  to  exercise  his  official 
share  of  counsel  and  authority.  In  every  Presby- 
tery, Synod,  and  General  Assembly  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  at  least  as  many  Ruling  as  Teach- 
ing Elders  are  entitled  to  a  place;  and  in  all  the 
former,  as  well  as  the  latter,  have  an  opportunity 
of  exerting  an  important  influence  in  the  great  con- 
cerns of  Zion.  Every  congregation,  whether  pro- 
vided with  a  Pastor  or  vacant,  is  entitled,  besides 
the  Pastor,  (where  there  is  one,)  to  be  represented 
by  one  Ruling  Elder,  in  all  meetings  of  the  Pres- 
bytery and  Synod ;  and  as  in  those  bodies,  vacant 
congregations,  and  those  which  are  supplied  with 
Pastors,  are  equally  represented,  each  by  an  Elder, 
it  is  manifest  that,  if  the  theory  of  our  ecclesiasti- 
cal constitution  be  carried  into  effect,  there  will 
always  be  a  greater  number  of  Ruling  Elders  than 
of  Pastors  present.  In  the  General  Assembly,  ac- 
cording to  our  constitutional  plan,  the  numbers  of 
each  are  precisely  equal. 

In  these  several  Judicatories  the  Ruling  Elder 
has  an  equal  vote,  and  the  same  power,  in  every 
respect,  with  the  Pastors.  He  has  the  same  pri- 
vilege of  originating  plans  and  measures,  and  of 
carrying  them,  provided  he  can  induce  a  majority 
of  the  body  to  concur  in  his  views ;  and  thus  may 
become  the  means  of  imparting  his  impressions, 
and  producing  an  influence  greatly  beyond  the 


204  NATURE   AND   DUTIES 

particular  congregation  with  which  he  is  connected, 
and,  indeed,  throughout  the  hounds  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  the  United  Slates.  This  con- 
sideration serves  to  place  the  nature  and  the  im- 
portance of  the  office  in  the  strongest  light.  He 
who  bears  it,  has  the  interest  of  the  Church,  as  a 
spiritual  trust,  as  really  and  solemnly,  though  not 
in  all  respects  to  the  same  extent,  committed  to 
him,  as  the  Elder  who,  "  labours  in  the  word  and 
doctrine."  He  not  only  has  it  in  his  power,  but 
is  daily  called,  in  the  discharge  of  his  official  duties, 
to  watch  over,  inspect,  regulate,  and  edify  the  body 
of  Christ:  to  enlighten  the  ignorant;  to  admonish 
the  disorderly  ;  to  reconcile  diffi^rences  ;  to  correct 
every  moral  irregularity  and  abuse  within  the 
bounds  of  his  charge  ;  and  to  labour  without  ceasing 
for  the  promotion  of  the  cause  of  truth,  piety,  and 
universal  righteousness  in  the  Church  to  which  he 
belongs,  and  wherever  else  he  has  an  opportunity 
of  raising  his  voice,  and  exerting  an  influence. 

But  when  it  is  considered  that  those  who  bear 
the  office  in  question,  are  called  upon,  in  their  turn, 
to  sit  in  the  highest  .Judicatories  of  the  Church  ; 
and  there  to  take  their  part  in  deliberating  and  de- 
ciding on  the  most  momentous  questions  which 
can  arise  in  conducting  ecclesiastical  aff'airs  : — when 
we  reflect  that  they  are  called  to  deliberate  and  de- 
cide on  the  conformity  of  doctrines  to  the  word  of 
God  ;  to  assist,  as  judges,  in  the  trial  of  heretics, 
and  every  class  of  ofl^enders  against  the  purity  of 
the  Gospel;  and  to  take  care  in  their  respective 
spheres,  that  all  the  ordinances  of  Christ's  house 
be  preserved  pure  and  entire  : — when,  in  a  word, 
we  recollect  that  they  are  ordained  for  the  express 
purpf)se  of  overseeing  and  guarding  the  most  pre- 
cious concerns  of  the  Church  on  earth; — concerns 


OF  THE  OFFICE.  205 

which  may  have  a  bearing,  not  merely  on  the  wel- 
fare of  a  single  individual  or  congregation  ;  but  on 
the  great  interests  of  orthodoxy  and  piety  among 
millions  ; — we  may  surely  conclude  without  hesi- 
tation, that  the  office  which  they  sustain  is  one,  the 
importance  of  which  can  scarcely  be  over-rated ; 
and  that  the  estimate  which  is  commonly  made  of 
its  nature,  duties,  and  responsibility,  is  far — very 
far  from  being  adequate. 

If  this  view  of  the  nature  and  importance  of  the 
office  before  us,  be  admitted,  the  question  very 
naturally  arises,  whether  it  be  correct  to  call  this 
class  of  Elders,  Lay-Elders  ;  or  whether  they  have 
not  such  a  strictly  ecclesiastical  character  as  should 
prevent  the  use  of  that  language  in  speaking  of 
them?  This  is  one  of  the  points  in  the  present  dis- 
cussion, concerning  which,  the  writer  of  this  Essay 
frankly  confesses  that  he  has,  in  some  measure, 
altered  his  opinion.  Once  he  was  disposed  to  con- 
fine the  epithet  clerical  to  Teaching  Elders,  and 
to  designate  those  who  ruled  only,  and  did  not 
teach,  as  /«^-Elders.  But  more  mature  inquiry 
and  reflection  have  led  him  first  to  doubt  the  cor- 
rectness of  this  opinion,  and  finally  to  persuade 
him  that  so  far  as  the  distinction  between  Clergy 
and  Laity  is  proper  at  all,  it  ought  not  to  be  made 
the  point  of  distinction  between  these  two  classes 
of  Elders;  and  that,  when  we  speak  of  the  one  as 
Clergymen,  and  llie  other  as  Laymen,  we  are  apt 
to  convey  an  idea  altogether  erroneous,  if  not 
seriously  mischievous. 

Some  judicious  and  pious  men  have,  indeed,  ex- 
pressed serious  doubts  whether  the  terms  Clergy 
and  Laity  ought  ever  to  have  been  introduced  into 
our  theological  nomenclature.  But  it  is  not  easy  to 
see  any  solid  reason  for  this  doubt.  Is  it  wise  to 
18 


206  NATURE   AND    DUTIES 

contend  about  terms,  when  the  things  intended  to  be 
expressed  by  them  are  fully  understood,  and  gene- 
rally admitted?  The  only  question,  then,  of  real 
importance  to  be  decided  here,  is  this — Does  the 
New  Testament  draw  any  distinct  line  between 
those  who  hold  spiritual  oflices  in  the  Church,  and 
those  who  do  not?  Does  it  represent  the  functions 
pertaining  to  those  oflices  as  confined  to  them,  or 
as  common  to  all  Christians?  Now,  it  seems  im- 
possible to  read  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  and  the 
several  Apostolic  Epistles,  especially  those  to  Ti- 
mothy and  Titus;  and  to  examine  in  connexion 
with  these,  the  writings  of  llie  "Apostolic  Fathers,'* 
without  perceiving  that  the  distinction  between 
those  who  bore  oflice  in  the  Church,  and  private 
Christians,  was  clearly  made,  and  uniformly  main- 
tained, from  the  very  origin  of  the  Church.  That 
the  terms.  Clergy  and  Laity,  are  not  found  in  the 
New  Testament,  nor  in  some  of  the  earliest  un- 
inspired writers,  is  freely  granted.  But  is  not  the 
distinction  intended  to  be  expressed  by  these  terms 
evidently  found  in  Scripture,  and  in  all  the  early 
Fathers?  Nothing  can  be  more  indubitably  clear. 
The  titles  of  "Rulers"  in  the  house  of  God; — 
"Ambassadors  of  Christ;" — "Stewards  of  the 
mysteries  of  God  ;" — "  Bishops,  Leaders,  Over- 
seers, Elders,  Shepherds,  Guides,  Ministers," 
<&;c.,  as  distinguished  from  those  to  whom  they 
ministered,  are  so  familiar  to  all  readers  of  the 
New  Testament,  that  it  would  be  a  waste  of  time 
to  attempt  to  illustrate  or  establish  a  point  so  un- 
questionable. If  the  inspired  writers  every  where 
represent  certain  spiritual  offices  in  the  Church  as 
appointed  by  God;  if  they  represent  those  who 
sustain  these  offices,  as  alone  authorized  to  perform 
certain  sacred  functions  ;  and  teach  us  to  consider 


OF   THE   OFFICE.  207 

all  others  who  attempt  to  perform  them,  as  criminal 
invaders  of  a  divine  ordinance;  then  surely  the 
whole  distinction  intended  to  be  expressed  by  the 
term  Clergy  and  Laity,  is  evidently,  and  most  dis- 
tinctly laid  down  by  the  same  authority  which 
founded  the  Church. 

The  word  kkh^oc  properly  signifies  a  lot.  And 
as  the  land  of  Canaan — the  inheritance  of  the 
Israelites — was  divided  among  them  by  lot,  the 
word,  in  process  of  time,  came  to  signify  an  in- 
heritance. In  this  figurative,  or  secondary  sense, 
the  term  is  evidently  employed  in  1  Peter  v.  3. 
Under  the  Old  Testament  dispensation,  the  peculiar 
people  of  God  were  called  (Septuagint  translation) 
his  xx«§of,  or  inheritance.  Of  this  we  have  exam- 
ples in  Deuteronomy  iv.  20,  and  ix.  29.  The 
term  in  both  these  passages,  is  manifestly  applied 
to  the  whole  body  of  the  nation  of  Israel,  as  God's 
inheritance,  or  peculiar  people.  Clemens  Ro- 
manus,  one  of  the  "  Apostolic  Fathers,"  speaking 
of  the  Jewish  economy,  and  having  occasion  to 
distinguish  between  the  priests  and  the  common 
people,  calls  the  latter  x«t«o/.  Clemens  Alexan- 
drinus,  towards  the  close  of  the  second  century, 
speaks  of  the  Apostle  John  as  having  set  apart  such 
persons  for  "  clergymen"  {K->^nejO  as  were  signified 
to  him  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  in  the  writings 
of  Tertullian,  Origen,  and  Cyprian,  the  terms 
"clergy"  and  "laity"  occur  with  a  frequency 
which  shows  that  they  were  then  in  general  use. 
Jerome  observes,  that  ministers  are  called  Clericiy 
either  because  they  are  peculiarly  the  lot  and  por- 
tion of  the  Lord ;  or  because  the  Lord  is  their  lot, 
that  is  their  inheritance.  Hence  that  learned  and 
pious  Father  takes  occasion  to  infer; — "That  he 
who  is  God's  portion  ought  so  to  exhibit  himself, 


2Q8  NATURE   AND   DUTIES 

that  he  may  be  truly  said  to  possess  God,  and  to 
be  possessed  by  Him."* 

And  as  we  have  abundant  evidence  that  eccle- 
siastical men  were  familiarly  called  Clerici,  or 
*'  Clergymen,"  from  the  second  century ;  so  we 
have  the  same  evidence  that  this  term  was  em- 
ployed to  designate  all  ecclesiastical  men.  That 
is,  all  persons  who  had  any  spiritual  office  in  the 
Church,  were  called  by  the  common  name  of  Cle- 
rid,  or  "  Clergymen."  It  was  applied,  continu- 
ally to  Elders  and  Deacons,  as  well  as  to  Bishops 
or  Pastors.  Nay,  in  the  third  century,  when  not 
only  the  inceptive  steps  of  Prelacy  became  visible, 
but  when  the  same  spirit  of  innovation  had  also 
brought  in  a  number  of  inferior  orders ;  such  as 
sub-Deacons,  Readers,  Acolyths,  &c.,  these  mfe- 
rior  orders  were  all  Clerici.  Cyprian,  speaking  of 
a  sub-Deacon,  and  also  of  a  Reader,  calls  them 
both  Clerici.  The  ordination  of  such  persons, 
(for  it  seems  they  were  all  formally  ordained,)  he 
calls  Ordinationes  Clericae  ;  and  the  letters  which 
he  transmitted  by  them,  he  styles  Literae  Clerics. 
The  same  fact  may  be  clearly  established  from  the 
writings  of  Ambrose,  Hilary,  and  Epiphanius,  and 
from  the  canons  of  the  Council  of  Nice.  Indeed 
there  seems  reason  to  believe,  that  in  the  fourth 
and  fifth  centuries,  and  subsequently,  the  title  of 
Clerici  was  not  only  given  to  all  the  inferior  orders 
of  ecclesiastical  men,  but  w^as  more  frequently  and 
punctiliously  applied  to  them,  than  to  their  supe- 
riors; who  were  generally  addressed  by  their 
more  distinctive  and  honourable  titles.  Those 
who  recollect  that  learning,  during  the  dark  ages, 
was  chiefly  confined  to  the  ministers  of  religion ; 

*  Epist.  2.  ad  Nepotian.  5. 


OF  THE  OFFICE.  209 

that  few,  excepting  persons  of  that  profession,  were 
able  to  read  and  write ;  and  that  the  wiiimsical 
privilege,  commonly  called  "  benefit  of  Clergy," 
grew  out  of  the  rare  accomplishment  of  being  able 
to  read;  will  be  at  no  loss  to  trace  the  etymology 
of  the  word  clerk  [clericus,)  or  secretary,  as  used 
to  designate  one  who  officiates  as  the  reader  and 
writer  of  a  public  body. 

'J'o  distinguish  the  mass  of  private  Christians 
from  those  who  bore  office  in  the  Church,  they 
were  designated  by  several  names.  They  were 
sometimes  called  ?^ctiKot,  laid,  laymen,  from  >^^o^y 
populus;  sometimes  iS^iandu^  "private  men,"  from 
tSio?i  privatiiSy  (Acts  iv.  13;)  sometimes  B/aT/xo/, 
i.  e.  *'  seculars,"  from  Biog,  which  signifies  a  secu- 
lar life.  Soon  after  the  apostolic  age,  common 
Christians  were  frequently  called  eti'J'gsr  iKicKuctctcTiKoi, 
**  men  of  the  Church,"  i.  e.  persons  not  belonging 
either  to  Jewish  Synagogues,  or  Pagan  temples,  or 
heretical  bodies,  but  members  of  the  Church  of 
Christ.  Afterwards,  however,  the  title  Ecclesi- 
astics, became  gradually  appropriated  to  persons  in 
office  in  the  Church.* 

The  quotations  made,  in  a  former  chapter,  from 
Augustine,  and  the  writings  of  some  other  Fathers 
about  his  time,  in  which  they  seem  to  distinguish 
between  the  Clergy  and  the  Elders,  may  seem  to 
militate  with  the  foregoing  statement.  But  in  re- 
ference to  these  passages,  the  learned  Voetius, 
while  he  quotes  them,  as  decisive  of  the  general 
fact,  of  the  early  existence  of  the  Elders  under 
consideration,  supposes  that  the  office,  in  the  fourth 
and  fifth  centuries,  was  beginning  to  fall  into  dis- 

*See  Stephani  Thesaurus,  and  Bingham's  Origines  Ec- 
clesiasticae. 


210  NATURE   AND   DUTIES 

use ;  and  that,  of  course,  though  it  was  still  found 
in  some  Churches,  it  began  to  be  spoken  of  with 
less  respect,  and  sometimes  to  be  denied  a  place 
among  the  offices  strictly  clerical.* 

But,  after  all,  there  is  no  real  difficulty  as  to  this 
point.  For  although  the  terms  "  clergy"  and 
"clerical"  were  pretty  generally  applied  to  all 
classes  of  Church  officers,  even  the  lowest,  in  the 
third,  fourth,  and  fifth  centuries;  yet  this  was  not 
always  the  case.  Thus  in  the  Apostolical  Canons, 
which  were  probably  composed  in  the  fourth  or 
fifth  centuries,  there  is  an  express  distinction  made 
between  the  Deacons  and  the  Clergy.  In  the 
third  and  fourth  Canons,  having  ordered  what 
sorts  of  first  fruits  should  be  sent  to  the  (Church, 
and  what  to  the  home  of  the  Bishop  and  Presby- 
ters, it  ordains  as  follows :  "  Now  it  is  manifest 
that  they  are  to  be  divided  by  them  among  the 
Deacons  and  the  Clergy."  From  cases  of  this 
kind  we  may  evidently  infer  that,  although  all 
kinds  of  ecclesiastical  officers  were  generally 
ranked  among  the  Clergy,  during  the  period  just 
mentioned,  yet  this  was  not  invariably  so;  and,  of 
course,  no  inference  can  be  drawn  from  occasional 
diversity  of  expression  as  to  this  matter. 

Now,  if  this  historical  deduction  of  the  titles, 
Clergy  and  Laity,  be  correct,  it  is  plain  that,  ac- 
cording to  early  and  general  usage,  Ruling  Elders 
ought  not  to  be  styled  laymen,  or  lay-Elders. 
They  are  as  really  in  office;  they  as  really  bear 
an  office  of  divine  appointment;  an  office  of  a  high 
and  spiritual  nature;  and  an  office,  the  functions 
of  which  cannot  be  rightfully  performed,  but  by 
those  who  are  regularly  set  apart  to  it,  as  any  other 

*  Polilicse  Ecclesiasticae,  par.  ii.  Lib.  ii.  Tract,  iii. 


OF   THE    OFFICE.  211 

officer  of  the  Christian  Church.  They  are  as 
really  a  portion  of  God's  lot ;  as  really  set  over 
the  laity,  or  body  of  the  people  as  the  most  distin- 
guished and  venerated  Kiinisier  of  Jesus  can  be. 
Whether,  therefore,  we  refer  to  early  usage,  or  to 
strict  philological  import.  Ruling  Elders  are  as 
truly  entided  to  the  name  of  Clergy,  in  the  only 
legitimate  sense  of  that  term,  that  is,  they  are  as 
truly  ecclesiastical  officers  as  those  who  "  labour 
in  the  word  and  doctrine." 

The  scope  of  the  foregoing  remarks  will  not,  it 
is  hoped,  be  mistaken.  The  author  of  this  Essay 
has  no  zeal  either  for  retaining  or  using  the  terms 
Clergy  and  Laity.  So  far  as  the  former  term  has 
been  heretofore  used,  or  may  now  be  intended,  to 
convey  the  idea  of  a  "  privileged  order"  in  the 
Church;  a  dignified  body,  lifted  up,  in  rank  and 
claim,  above  the  mass  of  the  Church  members;  in 
a  word,  as  designating  a  set  of  men,  claiming  to  be 
vicars  of  Christ,  keepers  of  the  human  conscience, 
and  the  only  channels  of  grace,  he  disclaims  and 
abhors  it.  He  is  a  believer  in  no  such  meaning 
or  men.  But  so  far  as  it  is  intended  to  designate 
those  who  are  clothed  with  ecclesiastical  office, 
under  the  authority  of  Christ,  and  authorized  to 
discharge  some  important  spiritual  functions,  which 
the  body  of  the  Church  members  are  not  author- 
ized to  perform,  and  to  mark  the  distinction  be- 
tween these  two  classes,  the  writer  is  of  the  opi- 
nion that  the  language  may  be  defended,  and  that 
either  that,  or  some  other  of  equivalent  import, 
ought  to  be  used,  nay,  must  be  used,  if  we  would 
be  faithful  to  the  New  Testament  view  of  eccle- 
siastical office,  as  an  ordinance  of  Jesus  Christ. 
And  if  the  term  Clergy,  in  this  humble,  Christian, 
and  only  becoming  sense,  be  applied  to  those  who 


212  NATURE   AND    DUTIES 

preside  in  ihe  dispensation  of  public  ordinances ; 
it  may  with  equal  propriety,  be  applied  to  those 
who  preside  with  Pastors,  in  the  inspection  and 
rule  of  the  Church. 

If  any  should  be  disposed  to  remark,  on  this 
subject,  that  the  use  of  the  term  Clergy  is  so  ap- 
propriated, by  long  established  public  habit,  to  a 
particular  class  of  ecclesiastical  officers,  that  there 
can  be  no  hope  that  the  mass  of  the  community 
will  be  reconciled  to  an  extension  of  the  title  to 
Kuling  Elders; — the  answer  is — be  it  so.  The 
writer  of  this  volume  is  neither  vain  enough  to  ex- 
pect, nor  ambitious  enough  to  attempt,  a  change  in 
the  popular  language  to  the  amount  here  supposed. 
But  he  protests  against  the  continued  use  of  the  term 
lay-Elder,  as  really  adapted  to  make  an  erroneous 
impression.  Let  the  class  of  officers  in  question  be 
called  Ruling  Elders.  Let  all  necessary  distinction 
be  made  by  saying: — "Ministers,  or  Pastors, 
Ruling  Elders,  Deacons,  and  the  Laity,  or  body 
of  the  people."  This  will  be  in  conformity  with 
ancient  usage.  This  will  be  maintaining  every 
important  principle.  This  can  offend  none;  and 
nothing  more  will  be  desired  by  any. 

Were  the  foregoing  views  of  the  nature  and  du- 
ties of  the  Elder's  office  generally  adopted,  duly 
appreciated,  and  faithfully  carried  out  into  practice, 
what  a  mighty  change  would  be  effected  in  our 
Zion  !  With  what  a  different  estimate  of  the  obli- 
gations and  responsibilities  which  rest  upon  them, 
would  the  candidates  for  this  office  enter  on  their 
sacred  work!  And  with  what  different  feelings 
would  the  mass  of  the  people,  and  especially  all 
who  love  the  cause  of  Christ,  regard  these  spiritual 
Counsellors  and  Guides,  in  their  daily  walks,  and 
particularly  in  their  friendly  and  official  visits ! 


OF    THE    OFFICE.  213 

This  is  a  change  most  devoutly  to  be  desired.  The 
interests  of  the  Church  are  more  involved  in  the 
prevalence  of  just  opinions  and  practice  in  reference 
to  this  office,  than  almost  any  other  that  can  be 
named.  Were  every  congregation,  besides  a  wise, 
pious  and  faithful  Pastor,  furnished  with  eight  or 
ten  Elders,  to  co-operate  with  him  in  all  his  pa- 
rochial labours,  on  the  plan  which  has  been  sketch- 
ed ;  men  of  wisdom,  faith,  prayer,  and  Christian 
activity  ;  men  willing  to  deny  and  exert  themselves 
for  the  welfare  of  Zion ;  men  alive  to  the  importance 
of  every  thing  that  relates  to  the  orthodoxy,  purity, 
order  and  spirituality  of  the  Church,  and  ever  on 
the  watch  for  opportunities  of  doing  good  ;  men, 
in  a  word,  willing  to  "  take  the  oversight"  of  the 
flock  in  the  Lord,  and  to  labour  without  ceasing  for 
the  promotion  of  its  best  interests  :— Were  every 
Church  furnished  with  a  body  of  such  Elders — 
can  any  one  doubt  that  knowledge,  order,  piety, 
and  growth  in  grace,  as  well  as  in  numbers,  would 
be  as  common  in  our  Churches,  as  the  reverse  is 
now  the  prevailing  state  of  things,  in  consequence 
of  the  want  of  fidelity  on  tiie  part  of  those  who  are 
nominally  the  overseers  and  guides  of  the  flock? 

WHiile  discussing  the  nature  of  this  office,  and 
the  duties  which  pertain  to  it,  it  seems  to  be  na- 
tural to  offer  a  few  remarks  on  the  manner  in 
which  those  who  bear  it  ought  to  be  treated  by  the 
members  of  the  Church;  in  other  words,  on  the 
duties  which  the  Church  owes  to  her  Ruling 
Elders. 

And  here  the  discerning  and  pious  mind  will  be 
at  no  loss  to  perceive  that  these  duties  are  correla- 
tive to  those  which  the  Rulers  owe  to  the  Church. 
That  is,  if  they  are  the  spiritual  Rulers  of  the 
Church,   and  bound   to  perform  daily,  and  with 


214  NATURE  AND  DUTIES 

fidelity  and  zeal,  the  duties  which  belong  to  this 
station;  it  is  evident  that  the  members  of  the 
Churcli  are  bound  to  recognise  them  in  the  same 
character,  and  to  honour  and  treat  them  as  their 
spiritual  guides.  Were  it,  then,  in  the  power  of 
the  writer  of  tills  volume  to  address  the  members 
of  every  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States, 
he  would  speak  to  them  in  some  such  language  as 
the  following: 

Christian  Brethren, 

Every  consideration  which  has  been  urged  to 
show  the  importance  and  duties  belonging  to  the 
office  of  Ruling  Elders,  ought  to  remind  you  of  the 
important  duties  which  you  owe  to  them.  Re- 
member, at  all  times,  that  they  are  your  ecclesiasti- 
cal Rulers;  Rulers  of  your  own  choice;  yet  by 
no  means  coming  to  you  in  virtue  of  mere  human 
authority;  but  in  the  name  and  by  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  great  Head  of  the  Church,  and,  of 
course,  the  "  ministers  of  God  to  you  for  good." 

In  all  your  views  and  treatment  of  them,  recog- 
nise this  character.  Obey  them  *'  in  the  Lord," 
that  is,  for  his  sake,  and  as  far  as  they  bear  rule 
agreeably  to  his  word.  "  Esteem  them  very  highly 
in  love  for  their  works  sake."  And  follow  them 
daily  with  your  prayers,  that  God  would  bless 
them,  and  make  them  a  blessing.  Reverence  them 
as  your  leaders.  Bear  in  mind  the  importance  of 
their  office,  the  arduousness  of  their  duties,  and  the 
difficulties  with  which  they  have  to  contend.  Coun- 
tenance, and  sustain  them  in  every  act  of  fidelity ; 
make  allowance  for  their  infirmities;  and  be  not 
unreasonable  in  your  expectations  from  them. 

Many  are  ready  to  criminate  the  Elders  of  the 
Church,  for  not  taking  notice  of  particular  ofi'ences, 


OF   THE    OFFICE.  215 

as  speedily,  or  in  such  manner,  as  they  expect. 
And  this  disposition  to  find  fault  is  sometimes  in- 
dulged by  persons  who  have  never  been  so  faith- 
ful themselves  as  to  give  that  information  which 
they  possessed,  respecting  the  alleged  offences;  or 
who,  when  called  upon  publicly  to  substantiate 
that  which  they  have  privately  disclosed,  have 
drawn  back,  unwilling  to  encounter  the  odium  or 
the  pain  of  appearing  as  accusers,  or  even  as  wit- 
nesses. Such  persons  ought  to  be  the  last  to  cri- 
minate Church  officers  for  supposed  negligence  of 
discipline.  Can  your  Rulers  take  notice  of  that 
which  never  comes  to  their  knowledge  ?  Or  can 
you  expect  them,  as  prudent  men,  rashly  to  set  on 
foot  a  judicial  and  public  investigation  of  things, 
concerning  which  many  are  ready  to  whisper  in 
private,  but  none  willing  to  speak  with  frankness 
before  a  court  of  Christ?  Besides,  let  it  be  recol- 
lected, that  the  session  of  almost  every  Church  is 
sometimes  actually  engaged  in  investigating  charges, 
in  removing  offences,  and  in  composing  differences, 
which  many  suppose  they  are  utterly  neglecting, 
merely  because  they  do  not  judge  it  to  be  for  edi- 
fication, in  all  cases,  to  proclaim  what  they  have 
done,  or  are  doing,  to  the  congregation  at  large. 

Your  Elders  will  sometimes  be  called — God 
grant  that  it  may  seldom  occur ! — But  they  will 
sometimes  be  called  to  the  painful  exercise  of  dis- 
cipline. Be  not  offended  with  them  for  the  per- 
formance of  this  duty.  Rather  make  the  language 
of  the  Psalmist  your  own; — "Let  the  righteous 
smite  me,  it  shall  be  a  kindness ;  and  let  him  re- 
prove me,  it  shall  be  an  excellent  oil,  which  shall 
not  break  my  head."  Add  not  to  the  bitterness  of 
their  official  task,  by  discovering  a  resentful  tem- 
per, or  by  indulging  in  reproachful  language,  in 


216  NATIEE    AJSD   DUTIES 

return  for  their  fidelity.  Surely  the  nature  of  the 
duty  is  sufficiently  self-denying  and  distressing, 
without  rendering  it  more  so  by  unfriendly  treat- 
ment. Receive  their  private  warnings  and  admo- 
nitions with  candour  and  affectionate  submission. 
Treat  their  public  acts,  however,  contrary  to  your 
wishes,  with  respect  and  reverence.  If  they  be 
honest  and  pious  men,  can  they  do  less  than  exer- 
cise the  discipline  of  Christ's  house,  against  such 
of  you  as  walk  disorderly  ?  Nay,  if  you  be  honest 
and  pious  yourselves,  can  you  do  less  than  approve 
of  their  faithfulness  in  exercising  that  discipline? 
If  you  were  aware  of  all  the  difficulties  which  at- 
tend this  part  of  the  duty  of  your  Eldership,  you 
would  feel  for  them  more  tenderly,  and  judge  con- 
cerning them  more  candidly  and  indulgently  than 
you  are  often  disposed  to  do.  Here  you  have  it  in 
your  power,  in  a  very  important  degree,  to  lessen 
their  burdens,  and  to  strengthen  their  hands. 

When  your  Elders  visit  your  families,  for  the 
purpose  of  becoming  acquainted  with  them,  and  of 
aiding  the  Pastor  in  ascertaining  the  spiritual  state 
of  the  flock,  remember  that  it  is  not  officious  in- 
trusion. It  is  nothing  more  than  their  duty.  Re- 
ceive them,  not  as  if  you  suspected  them  of  having 
come  as  spies  or  busy  intruders,  but  with  respect 
and  cordiality.  Convince  them,  by  your  treat- 
ment, that  you  are  glad  to  see  them ;  that  you 
wish  to  encourage  them  in  promoting  the  best  inte- 
rests of  the  Church;  and  that  you  honour  them 
for  their  fidelity.  Give  them  an  opportunity  of 
seeing  your  children,  and  of  ascertaining  whether 
your  households  are  making  progress  in  the  Chris- 
tian life.  Nay,  encourage  your  children  to  put 
themselves  in  the  way  of  the  Elders,  that  they  may 
be  personally  known  to  them,  and  may  become 


OF   THE   OFFICE.  217 

the  objects  of  their  affectionate  notice,  their  occa- 
sional exhortation,  and  their  pious  prayers.  Con- 
verse with  the  Elders  freely,  as  with  fathers,  who 
*' have  no  greater  joy  than  to  see  you  walking  in 
the  truth."  And  ever  give  them  cause  to  retire 
under  the  pleasing  persuasion,  that  their  office  is 
honoured,  that  their  benevolent  designs  are  duly 
appreciated,  and  that  their  labours  "  are  not  in  vain 
in  the  Lord."  In  short,  as  every  good  citizen 
will  make  conscience  of  vindicating  the  fidelity, 
and  holding  up  the  hand  of  the  faithful  Magistrate, 
who  firmly  and  impartially  executes  the  law  of  the 
land:  so  every  good  Christian  ought  to  feel  him- 
self bound  in  conscience  and  honour,  as  well  as 
in  duty  to  his  Lord,  to  strengthen  the  hands,  and 
encourage  the  heart  of  the  spiritual  Ruler,  who 
evidently  seeks,  in  the  fear  of  God,  to  promote  the 
purity  and  edification  of  the  Church. 

The  nature  of  the  office  before  us  also  leads  to 
another  remark,  with  which  the  present  chapter 
will  be  closed.  It  is,  that  there  seems  to  be  a 
peculiar  propriety  in  the  Ruling  Elders  (and  the 
same  principle  will  apply  to  the  Deacons,  if  there 
be  any  of  this  class  of  officers  in  a  congregation) 
having  a  seat  assigned  them,  for  sitting  together, 
in  a  conspicuous  part  of  the  Church,  near  the 
Pulpit,  during  the  public  service,  where  they  can 
overlook  the  whole  worshipping  assembly,  and  be 
seen  by  all.  The  considerations  which  recom- 
mend this,  are  numerous.  It  was  invariably  so  in 
the  Jewish  Synagogue.  The  same  practice,  as 
we  have  seen  in  a  former  chapter,  was  adopted  in 
the  early  Church,  as  soon  as  Christians  began  to 
erect  houses  for  public  worship.  This  official 
and  conspicuous  accommodation  for  the  Elders  is 


218  DIFFERENCE   BETWEEN 

constantly  provided  in  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church, 
in  this  country,  and  it  is  believed  by  most  of  the 
Reformed  Churches  on  the  continent  of  Europe. 
It  is  adapted  to  keep  the  congregation  habitually 
reminded  who  their  Elders  are,  and  of  their  official 
authority;  and  also  to  remind  the  Elders  tliem- 
selves,  of  their  functions  and  duties.  And  it  fur- 
nishes a  convenient  opportunity  for  the  Pastor  to 
consult  them  on  any  question  which  may  occur, 
either  before  he  ascends  the  Pulpit,  or  at  the  close 
of  the  service. 


CHAPTER  X. 

DISTINCTION     BETWEEN    THE    OFFICES    OF    THE    RULING 
ELDER    AND    DEACON. 

These  offices  have  been  so  often  confounded,  and 
opinions  attempted  to  be  maintained  which  tend  to 
merge  the  former  in  the  latter,  that  it  is  judged 
proper  tt)  make  the  difference  between  them  the 
subject  of  distinct  consideration. 

The  only  account  that  we  have  in  Scripture  of 
the  origin  of  the  Deacon's  office  is  found  in  the 
following  passage,  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  vi. 
1—6.  "  And  in  those  days,  when  the  number  of 
the  disciples  was  multiplied,  there  arose  a  mur- 
muring of  the  Grecians  against  the  Hebrews,  be- 
cause their  widows  were  neglected  in  the  daily 
ministration.  Then  the  twelve  called  the  multi- 
tude of  the  disciples  unto  them,  and  said  :  It  is  not 
reason  that  we  sfiould  leave  the  word  of  God  and 
serve  tables.  Wherefore,  brethren,  look  ye  out 
among  you  seven  men,  of  honest  report,  full  of  the 


ELDERS    AND    DEACONS.  219 

Holy  Ghost  and  wisdom,  whom  we  may  appoint 
over  this  business.  But  we  will  give  ourselves 
continually  to  prayer,  and  to  the  ministry  of  the 
word.  And  the  saying  pleased  the  whole  multi- 
tude; and  they  chose  Stephen,  a  man  full  of  faith 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  Philip,  and  Prochorus, 
and  Nicanor,  and  Timon,  and  Parmenas,  and 
Nicolas,  a  proselyte  of  Anlioch:  whom  they  set 
before  the  Apostles;  and  when  they  had  prayed, 
they  laid  their  hands  on  them." 

On  this  plain  passage  various  opinions  have  been 
entertained.  It  will  be  to  our  purpose  to  notice  a 
few  of  them. 

I.  Some  have  doubted  whether  these  were  the 
first  Deacons  chosen  by  the  direction  of  the  inspired 
Apostles.  The  learned  Dr.  Mosheim  supposes 
that  the  Church  of  Jerusalem,  from  its  first  organi- 
zation, had  its  inferior  ministers,  in  other  words, 
its  Deacons ;  and  that  there  is  a  reference  to  these, 
in  the  fifth  chapter,  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles, 
under  the  title  of  young  men,  {viccn^ot,  and  vsctv/a-xc,,) 
who  assisted  in  the  interment  of  A^nanias  and  Sap- 
phira.  He  is  confident  that  the  Seven  Deacons 
spoken  of  in  the  passage  just  cited,  were  added  to 
the  original  number ;  and  that  they  were  intention- 
ally selected  from  the  foreign  Jews,  in  order  to 
silence  the  complaints  on  the  part  of  the  Grecians, 
of  partiality  in  the  distribution  of  the  offerings  made 
for  the  relief  of  the  poor.  To  this  opinion  there 
seems  to  be  no  good  reason  for  acceding.  The 
objections  to  it  are  the  following: 

1.  It  is  by  no  means  probable  that  a  class  of  offi- 
cers of  great  importance  to  the  comfort  and  pros- 
perity of  the  Church,  should  have  been  instituted 
by  divine  authority,  and  yet  that  the  original  in- 


220  DIFFERENCE   BETWEEN 

stitution  should  have  been  passed  over  by  all  the 
inspired  writers  in  entire  silence. 

2.  In  this  narrative  of  llie  election  and  ordina- 
tion of  the  seven  Deacons,  there  is  not  the  most 
distant  allusion  to  any  pre-existing  officers  of  the 
same  character  or  functions.  The  murmuring 
spoken  of,  seems  to  have  proceeded  from  the  body 
of  the  Grecian,  or  foreign  Christians,  and  to  have 
been  directed  against  the  body  of  the  native,  or 
Hebrew  Christians. 

3.  It  is  evident,  from  the  spirit  of  the  narrative, 
that  the  appointment  of  these  Deacons  was  express- 
ly designed  to  relieve  the  Apostles  themselves  of  a 
laborious  service,  with  which  they  had  been  be- 
fore encumbered,  but  which  interfered  with  their 
discharge  of  higher,  and  more  important  duties. 
Surely  the  address  of  the  Apostles  would  have 
been  strange,  if  not  unmeaning,  had  there  been 
already  a  body  of  officers  who  were  intrusted  with 
the  whole  of  this  business  ;  and  they  had  only  been 
solicited  to  appoint  an  additional  number,  or  to  put 
a  more  impartial  set  in  the  place  of  the  old  incum- 
bents. 

4.  It  is  plain  that  these  officers  were  not  chosen 
from  among  the  young  men  of  the  Church,  as  Dr. 
Mosheim  seems  to  imagine ;  nor  was  the  office 
itself  one  of  small  trustor  dignity.  The  multitude 
were  directed  to  "  look  out  for  seven  men  of 
honest  report,"  or  established  reputation,  "  full  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  and  of  wisdom  ;"  and  when  the 
Apostle  Paul  afterwards  writes  to  Timothy,  and 
points  out  the  character  of  those  who  ought  to  be 
selected  for  this  office,  he  speaks  of  them  as  married 
men,  fathers  of  families,  distinguished  for  their 
gravity:  men  who  had  been  "first  proved,"  and 


ELDERS   AND    DEACONS.  221 

found  "  blameless,"  as  orthodox,  just,  temperate, 
holy  men,  regulating  their  own  households  with 
firmness  and  prudence. 

5.  Dr.  Mosheim  is  not  borne  out  by  the  best 
authorities  in  his  interpretation  of  the  words  viuTi^oi, 
and  v£*v/5-Ks/.  The  most  skilful  lexicographers  assign 
to  them  no  such  official  meaning.  Besides,  the 
nature  and  responsibility  of  the  office,  and  the  high 
qualifications  for  it  pointed  out  by  the  Apostles  at 
the  time  of  this  first  choice,  and  required  by  the 
Apostle  Paul  afterwards,  when  writing  to  Timothy, 
respecting  proper  persons  to  be  chosen  and  set 
apart  as  Deacons  ;  by  no  means  answer  to  the 
view  wliich  Dr.  Mosheim  takes  of  tlie  inferiority 
of  the  office,  or  the  propriety  of  bestowing  it  on 
young  men  as  the  Church's  servants. 

6.  Finally  ;  it  may  be  doubted  whether  there 
had  been  any  real  need  of  the  Deacon's  office,  until 
the  time  arrived,  and  the  events  occurred  which 
are  recorded  in  the  sixth  chapter  of  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles.  But  a  short  time  had  elapsed  since  the 
Church  had  been  organized  on  the  New  Testa- 
ment plan.  At  its  first  organization,  the  number 
of  the  poor  connected  with  it  was  probably  small. 
But  very  shortly  after  the  day  of  Pentecost,  the 
number  of  foreigners,  who  had  come  up  to  the 
feast,  and  had  there  been  converted  to  the  Chris- 
tian faith,  was  so  great,  and  the  number  of  these 
who,  at  a  distance  from  all  their  wonted  pecuniary 
resources,  and  their  friends,  stood  in  need  of  pecu- 
niary aid,  had  also  become  so  considerable,  that 
the  task  of  "  imparting  to  those  who  had  need," 
became,  suddenly,  a  most  arduous  employment. 
This  had  been  accomplislied,  however,  for  a  short 
time,  under  the  direction  of  the  Apostles,  and  with- 
out appointing  a  particular  class  of  officers  for  the 

19 


222  DIFFERENCE   BETWEEN 

purpose.  But,  when  the  foreign  Jews  came  for- 
ward, and  made  complaint  of  partiality  in  this 
business,  the  Apostles,  under  the  direction  of 
heavenly  Wisdom,  called  upon  the  '*  multitude'* 
to  make  choice  of  competent  persons  whom  they 
might  appoint  over  this  branch  of  Christian  minis- 
tration. This  appears  to  be  a  plain  history  of  the 
case,  and  to  resort  to  Dr.  Mosheim's  supposition, 
is  to  throw  a  strange  and  perplexed  aspect  over  the 
whole  narrative. 

II.  There  are  others  who  have  doubted  whether 
the  "seven,"  whose  election  and  ordination  are 
recorded  in  the  6lh  chapter  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apos- 
tles, were  Deacons  at  all.  They  allege  that  the 
office  to  which  they  were  chosen  and  set  apart 
was  a  mere  temporary  function,  not  designed  to  be 
a  permanent  one  in  the  Christian  Church,  and 
which,  probably,  did  not  last  much  if  any  longer 
than  what  is  commonly  called,  "  the  community 
of  goods,"  which  existed  sometime  after  the  day 
of  Pentecost. 

Against  this  supposition,  the  following  reasons 
are,  in  my  view,  conclusive. 

1.  If  this  supposition  were  admitted,  then  it 
would  follow,  that  there  is  no  account  whatever  in 
the  Scriptures  of  the  origin  or  nature  of  the  Dea- 
con's office.  The  office  is  mentioned  again  and 
again  in  the  New  Testament;  but  if  the  narrative 
in  the  beginning  of  the  sixth  chapter  of  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles,  be  not  a  statement  of  its  origin, 
nature,  and  duties,  we  hav6  no  account  of  them 
any  where.     Can  this  be  considered  as  probable? 

2.  Is  it  likely,  judging  on  the  principles,  and 
from  the  analogy  of  Scripture,  that  a  short  occa- 
sional trust,  a  mere  temporary  trusteeship,  if  I  may 
so  speak,  would  be  appointed  with  so  much  for- 


ELDERS    AND    DEACONS.  223 

mality  and  solemnity  ; — marked  not  only  by  a  for- 
mal election  of  the  people,  but  also  by  the  prayers 
and  "  the  laying  on  of  the  hands"  of  the  Apostles  ? 
What  greater  solemnities  attended  an  investiture 
with  the  highest  and  most  permanent  offices  in  the 
Christian  Church  ? 

3.  It  is  a  well  known  fact,  that  in  the  Jewish 
Synagogue  which  was  assumed  as  the  model  of 
the  primitive  Church,  there  was  a  class  of  officers, 
to  whom  the  collection  and  distribution  of  alms  for 
the  poor,  were  regularly  committed.  We  may 
venture  to  presume,  then,  that  the  appointment  of 
similar  officers  in  the  Church  would  be  altogether 
likely. 

4.  When  it  is  considered  what  an  important  and 
arduous  part  of  the  Church's  duty  it  was,  in  the 
apostolic  age,  and  for  some  time  afterwards,  to  pro- 
vide for  the  very  numerous  poor  who  looked  to  her 
for  aid,  it  is  incredible  tiiat  there  should  be  no  class 
of  officers  specifically  set  apart  for  this  purpose. 
Yet  if  the  "  seven"  are  not  of  this  class,  there  is 
no  account  of  any  such  appointment  in  the  New 
Testament. 

5.  The  language  of  some  of  the  earlier,  as  well 
as  the  later  Christian  Fathers  on  this  subject, 
clearly  evinces  that  they  considered  the  appoint- 
ment recorded  in  the  chapter  of  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles,  now  under  consideration,  as  the  appoint- 
ment of  Christian  Deacons — and  as  exhibiting  the 
nature  of  that  office,  and  the  great  purpose  for 
which  it  was  instituted.  A  small  specimen  of  the 
manner  in  which  they  speak  on  the  subject  will  be 
sufficient  to  establish  this  position.  Hermas,  one 
of  the  apostolical  Fathers  in  his  Similitude,  9 — 27, 
expresses  himself  thus  : — "For  what  concerns  the 
tenth  mountain,  in  which  were  the  trees  covering 


224  DIFFERENCE   BETWEEN" 

ihe  cattle,  they  are  such  as  have  believed,  and  some 
of  them  have  been  Bishops,  that  is  presidents  of 
the  Churches.  Then  sucli  as  have  been  set  over 
inferior  ministries,  and  have  protected  the  poor 
and  the  widows.  Origen,  (Tract.  16,  in  Matt.,) 
evidently  considered  the  Deacons  as  charged  with 
the  pecuniary  concerns  of  the  Church.  "  The 
Deacons,"  says  he,  "  preside  over  the  money 
tables  of  the  Church."  And  again,  "  Those  Dea- 
cons, who  do  not  manage  well  the  money  of  the 
Churches  committed  to  their  care,  but  act  a  frau- 
dulent part,  and  dispense  it,  not  according  to  just- 
ice, but  for  the  purpose  of  enriching  themselves; 
these  act  the  part  of  money-changers,  and  keepers 
of  those  tables  which  our  Lord  overturned.  For 
the  Deacons  were  appointed  to  preside  over  the 
tables  of  the  Church,  as  we  are  taught  in  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles."  Cyprian  speaks  (Epist.  25.) 
of  a  certain  Deacon  who  had  been  deposed  from 
his  "  sacred  Diaconale,  on  account  of  his  fraudu- 
lent and  sacrilegious  misapplication  of  the  Church's 
money  to  his  own  private  use;  and  for  his  denial 
of  the  widow's  and  orphan's  pledges  deposited 
with  him."  And,  in  another  place,  (Epist.  3,  ad 
Rogatianum,)  he  refers  the  appointment  of  the  first 
Deacons  to  his  choice  and  ordination  at  Jerusalem. 
It  seems,  then,  that  the  Deacons,  in  the  days  of 
Cyprian,  were  intrusted  with  the  care  of  widows 
and  orjihans,  and  the  funds  of  the  Church  destined 
for  their  relief.  It  is  incidentally  slated  in  the  ac- 
count of  the  persecution  under  the  emperor  Decius, 
in  the  third  century,  that  by  order  of  the  emperor, 
Laurentius,  one  of  the  Deacons  of  Rome,  was  seiz- 
ed, under  the  expectation  of  finding  the  money  of 
the  Church,  collected  for  the  use  of  the  poor,  in 
his  possession.  It  is  further  stated,  that  this  money 


ELDERS   AND  DEACONS.  225 

had  really  been  in  his  possession  ;  but  that,  expect- 
ing the  storm  of  persecution,  he  had  distributed  it 
before  his  seizure. 

Eusebius;  (Lib.  ii.  cap.  1,)  says ;— There  were 
also  ''  seven  approvt-d  men  ordained  Deacons, 
through  prayer  and  the  imposition  of  the  Apostle's 
hands,"  and  he  immediately  afterwards  speaks  of 
Stephen  as  one  of  the  number.  Dorothaeus,  Bishop 
of  Tyre,  contemporary  with  Eusebius,  also  says; 
(Lives  of  the  Prophets,  &c.,)  "Stephen,  the  first 
Martyr,  and  one  of  the  seven  Deacons,  was  stoned 
by  the  Jews  at  Jerusalem,  as  Luke  testifieth  in 
the  Acts  of  the  Apostles." 

Ambrose,  in  speaking  of  the  fourth  century,  the 
time  in  which  he  lived,  says,  (Comment,  in  Ephes. 
iv.)  "  The  Deacons  do  not  publicly  preach."  Chry- 
sostom,  who  lived  in  the  same  century,  in  his  com- 
mentary on  this  very  passage,  in  Acts  vi.,  observes, 
that  "  the  Deacons  had  need  of  great  wisdom,  al- 
though the  preaching  of  the  word  was  not  commit- 
ted to  them  ;"  and  remarks  further,  that  *'  it  is  ab- 
surd to  suppose  that  they  should  haveboth  the  offices 
of  preaching  and  taking  care  of  the  poor  committed 
to  them,  seeing  it  is  impossible  for  them  to  dis- 
charge both  functions  adequately."  Sozomen,  the 
ecclesiastical  historian,  who  lived  in  the  fifth  cen- 
tury, says;  (Lib.  V.  cap.  8,)  that  "  the  Deacon's 
office  was  to  keep  the  Church  goods."  In  the 
Apostolical  Constitutions,  which,  though  undoubt- 
edly spurious  as  an  apostolical  work,  may  pro- 
bably be  referred  to  the  fourth  or  fifth  centuries,  it 
is  recorded;  (Lib.  8,  cap.  28.)  "It  is  not  lawful 
for  the  Deacons  to  baptize,  or  to  administer  the 
Eucharist,  or  to  pronounce  the  greater  or  smaller 
benediction."  Jerome,  in  his  letter  to  Evagrius, 
calls  Deacons  "  ministers  of  tables  and  widows." 


22(i  DIFFERENCE   BETWEEN 

Oecumenius,  a  learned  commentator,  who  lived 
several  centuries  after  Jerome,  in  his  Commentary 
on  Acts  vi.,  expresses  himself  thus  : — '♦  Tiie  Apos- 
tles laid  their  hands  on  those  who  were  chosen 
Deacons,  not  to  confer  on  them  that  rank  which 
they  now  hold  in  the  Church,  but  that  they  might, 
wiih  all  diligence  and  attention,  distribute  the  ne- 
cessaries of  life  to  widows  and  orphans."  And 
the  Council  of  Trullo,  in  the  sixth  century,  ex- 
pressly asserts  (Can.  16,)  that  the  seven  Deacons 
spoken  of  in  the  Acts  of  the  Aposdes,  are  not  to  be 
understood  of  such  as  ministered  in  divine  service, 
or  in  sacred  mysteries  :  but  only  of  such  as  served 
tables,  and  attended  the  poor. 

Another  consideration,  which  shows  beyond  con- 
troversy that  the  early  Christians  universally  con- 
sidered the  "seven  spoken  of  in  the  sixth  chapter 
of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  as  the  proper  New 
Testament  Deacons,  is  that,  for  several  centuries, 
many  of  the  largest  and  most  respectable  Churches 
in  the  world  considered  themselves  as  bound,  in 
selecting  their  Deacons,  to  confine  themselves  to 
the  exact  number  seven,  whatever  might  be  their  ex- 
tent and  their  exigencies,  on  the  avowed  principle 
of  conformity  to  tlie  number  of  this  class  of  officers 
first  appointed,  in  the  mother  Church  at  Jerusalem. 
The  Council  of  Neoca;sarea  enacted  it  into  a  canon, 
that  there  should  be  but  seven  Deacons  in  any  city, 
however  great,  because  this  was  according  to  the 
rule  laid  down  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  And 
the  Church  of  Rome,  both  before  and  after  this 
Council,  seems  also  to  have  looked  upon  that 
example  as  binding;  for  it  is  evident  from  the 
Epistles  of  Cornelius,  written  in  the  middle  of  the 
third  century,  that  there  were  but  seven  Deacons 
in  the  Church  of  Rome  at  that  time,  though  there 


ELDERS   AND    DEACONS.  227 

were  forty-six  Presbyters.  Prudentius  intimates 
that  it  was  so  in  the  time  of  Sixtus,  also  in  the 
year  261  ;  for  speaking  of  Laurentius,  the  Deacon, 
he  terms  him  the  chief  of  those  *'  seven  men," 
who  had  their  station  near  the  altar,  meaning  the 
Deacons  of  the  Church.  Nay,  in  the  fourth  and 
fifth  centuries,  the  custom  in  that  city  continued 
the  same,  as  we  learn  both  from  Sozomen  and 
Hilary,  the  Roman  Deacon,  who  wrote  under  the 
name  of  Ambrose.* 

G.  The  current  opinion  of  all  the  most  learned 
and  judicious  Christian  Divines,  of  all  denomina- 
tions, for  several  centuries  past,  is  decisively  in 
favour  of  considering  the  passage  in  Acts  vi.,  as 
recording  the  first  appointment  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment Deacons.  Among  all  classes  of  theologians. 
Catholic  and  Protestant,  Lutheran  and  Calvinislic, 
Presbyterian  and  Episcopal,  this  concurrence  of 
opinion  approaches  so  near  to  unanimity,  that  we 
may,  without  injustice  to  any  other  opinion,  con- 
sider it  as  the  deliberate  and  harmonious  judgment 
of  the  Christian  Church. 

The  very  learned  Suicer,  a  German  Professor 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  in  his  Thesaurus  Ec- 
desiasticus,  (Art.  A<:txcvj?,)  makes  the  following 
statement  on  this  subject:  "In  the  apostolic 
Church,  Deacons  were  those  who  distributed  alms 
to  the  poor,  and  took  care  of  them  :  in  other  words, 
they  were  the  treasurers  of  the  Church's  charity. 
The  original  institution  of  this  class  of  officers  is 
set  forth  in  the  sixth  chapter  of  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles.  With  respect  to  them,  the  16lh  canon 
of  the  Counsel  of  Constantine  (in  Trullo)  says : 

*  Bingham's  Origines  Ecclesiasticae,  B.  IL  ch.  20,  sect 
19. 


228  DIFFERENCE   BETWEEN 

*'They  are  those  to  whom  the  common  adminis- 
tering to  poverty  is  committee] ;  not  those  who 
administer  the  sacraments.  And  Aristinus,  in  his 
Svnopsis  of  tlie  Canons  of  tlie  same  Counsel, 
Canon  18th,  says  :  "  Let  him  who  alleges  that  the 
seven,  of  whom  mention  is  made  in  the  Acts  of 
the  Apostles,  were  Deacons,  know  that  the  ac- 
count there  given  is  not  of  those  who  administer 
the  sacraments,  but  of  such  as  "served  tables." 
Zonaras,  ad  Canon.  IG,  'l^rullanum.  p.  145,  says, 
those  who  by  the  Apostles  were  appointed  to  the 
Diaconate,  were  not  ministers  of  spiritual  things, 
but  ministers  and  dispensers  of  meats.  Oecume- 
nius  also,  on  the  Gth  chapter  of  the  Acts  of  Apos- 
tles, says  :  'J'hey  laid  their  hands  on  the  Deacons 
who  had  been  elected,  wliich  office  was  by  no 
means  the  same  with  that  which  obtains  at  the 
present  day  in  the  Church,  (i.  e.  under  the  same 
name ;)  but  that  with  the  utmost  care  and  dili- 
gence, they  might  distribute  what  was  necessary  to 
the  sustenance  of  orphans  and  widows." 

From  these  considerations,  I  feel  myself  war- 
ranted in  concluding  with  confidence,  that  the 
"seven,"  chosen  at  Jerusalem,  to  "serve  tables," 
were  scriptural  Deacons,  and  the  first  Deacons; 
and  that,  of  course,  every  attempt  to  evade  the 
necessary  consequence  of  admitting  this  fact,  is 
wholly  destitute  of  support. 

III.  A  third  opinion  hold  by  some  on  this  sub- 
ject is,  that,  although  the  passage  recorded  in  the 
beginning  of  the  sixth  chapter  of  the  acts  of  the 
Apostles,  is  an  account  of  the  first  appointment  of 
New  Testament  Deacons;  and  though  their  pri- 
mary function  was  to  take  care  of  the  poor,  and 
"  serve  tables  ;"  yet  that  the  appropriate  duties  of 
their  ofiTice  were  afterwards  enlarged.     Thus  the 


ELDERS    AND    DEACONS.  229 

Prelatists  say,  that  Philip,  one  of  the  "  seven,"  is 
found,  soon  after  his  appointment  as  Deacon, 
preaching  and  baptizing.  Hence  they  infer  that 
these  functions  of  right  pertain  to  the  Deacon's 
office,  and  have  belonged  to  it  from  the  beginning. 
On  the  other  hand,  some  Independents  say,  that 
the  word  Deacon,  according  to  its  Greek  etymo- 
logy, means  minister  or  servant;  that  this  general 
term  may  cover  a  large  field  of  ecclesiastical  ser- 
vice;  and  that  New  Testament  Deacons  were, 
probably,  at  first  intended,  and  now  ought  to  be 
employed,  to  assist  the  Pastor  in  counsel  and  go- 
vernment, as  well  as  in  serving  the  Lord's  table, 
and  attending  to  the  relief  of  the  poor.  And  even 
some  Presbyterians  have  expressed  the  opinion, 
that  our  Ruling  Elders  were  a  kind  of  Deacons  in 
disguise,  and  ought  so  to  be  considered  and  called; 
and  that  there  ought  not  to  be,  and  cannot  be,  con- 
sistently with  Scripture,  any  office  bearer,  charged 
with  the  duty  of  assisting  the  Pastor  in  counsel 
and  rule,  other  than  the  Deacon. 

I  am  fully  persuaded  that  this  is  an  erroneous 
opinion.  It  appears  to  me  manifest,  not  only  that 
it  is  inconsistent  with  the  form  of  government  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church ;  but  what  is  a  much 
more  serious  dilUculty,  that  it  is  altogether  irre- 
concilable with  the  New  Testament.     For, 

1.  An  attentive  and  impartial  perusal  of  the 
record  of  this  first  institution  of  Deacons,  must 
convince  any  one,  that  preachinj^,  baptizing,  or 
partaking  in  the  spiritual  rule  and  government  of 
the  Church,  were  so  far  from  being  embraced  in 
the  original  destination  of  the  New  Testament 
Deacon,  that  they  were  all  absolutely  precluded, 
by  the  very  terms,  and  the  whole  spirit  of  the  re- 
presentation given  by  the  inspired  historian.  The 
20 


230  DIFFERENCE   BETWEEN 

thino[s  complained  of  by  the  Grecian  believers,  are, 
not  thai  liie  preachinj^  was  defective,  or  that  the 
government  and  discipline  of  the  Church  were 
badly  managed.  Not  a  hint  of  this  kind  is  given. 
The  only  complaint  was,  that  the  poor  "  widows 
had  been  neglected;"  in  other  words,  had  not  had 
the  due  share  of  attention  to  their  wants,  and  of 
relief  from  the  Church's  bounty.  To  remove  all 
cause  of  complaint  on  this  score,  the  "  seven" 
were  chosen  and  set  apart.  The  sphere  of  duty 
to  which  they  were  appointed,  was  one  which  the 
Apostles  declared  tliey  could  not  fulfil  without 
leaving  the  word  of  God  to  serve  tables."*  They 
say,  therefore,  to  the  members  of  the  Church, 
•'  look  ye  out  seven  men  of  honest  report,  full  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  and  of  wisdom,  whom  we  may- 
appoint  over  this  business,"  i.  e.  over  the  "  serving 
of  tables."  "  And  we  will  give  ourselves  to  prayer 
and  the  ministry  of  the  word."  Now,  to  suppose 
that  these  very  Deacons  were  appointed  to  officiate 
in  "  the  ministry  of  the  word  and  prayer,"  is  an 
inconsistency,  nay  an  absurdity,  so  glaring,  that 
the  only  wonder  is  how  any  one  can  possibly 
adopt  it  after  reading  the  passage  in  question.     If 

*  It  has  been  supposed  by  many  that  the  phrase, 
•"  serving  tables,"  in  the  history  of  the  institution  of  the 
Deacon's  office,  had  a  reference  cither  to  the  Lord's  table, 
or  to  overseeing  and  supplying  the  tables  of  the  poor,  or 
perhaps  both.  But  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  this  is  an 
entire  mistake.  The  word,  T^u.7ri^u,  signifies,  indeed,  a 
table;  but,  in  this  connexion,  it  seems  obviously  to  mean 
a  money-table,  or  a  counter,  on  which  money  was  laid. 
Hence  Tga;Tf^«T«c  a  money  changer,  or  money  merchant. 
See  Matt.  xxi.  12.  xxv.  27;  Mark  xi.  15;  Luke  xix.  23. 
The  plain  meaning,  then,  of  Acts  vi.  seems  to  be  this: 
"  It  is  not  suitable  that  we  should  leave  the  word  of  God, 
and  devote  ourselves  to  pecuniary  affairs." 


ELDEUS    AND    DEACONS.  231 

the  object  had  been  to  adopt  a  siipposiiion  filled  to 
exhibil  the  Apostles,  and  ihe  "  multitude"  loo,  as 
acting  lilve  insane  men,  or  children,  one  more  di- 
rectly adapted  to  answer  the  end,  could  nut  have 
been  thought  of. 

2.  The  circumstance  of  Philip,  sometime  afier 
his  appointment  as  Deacon,  being  found  preaching 
and  baptizing,  in  Samaria,  and  other  places,  does 
not  alford  the  smallest  presumptive  evidence 
against  this  conclusion.  Soon  after  his  appoint- 
ment to  the  diaconate  in  Jerusalem,  the  members 
of  the  Church  in  that  city  were  chiefly  "  scattered 
abroad  by  persecution."  Philip  was,  of  course, 
driven  from  his  residence.  Now,  the  probability 
is,  that  about  this  time,  seeing  he  was  a  man  "  full 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  of  wisdom,"  and  therefore, 
eminently  qualified  to  be  useful  in  preaching  the 
gospel,  he  received  a  new  ordination  as  an  Evan- 
gelist, and  in  this  character  went  forth  to  preach 
and  baptize.  He  is  expressly  called  an  "  Evan- 
gelist," by  the  same  inspired  writer  who  gives  us 
an  account  of  his  appointment  as  a  Deacon;  (Acts 
xxi.  8.)  Until  it  can  be  proved,  then,  thiit  he 
preached  and  baptized  as  a  Deacon,  and  not  as  an 
Evangelist,  the  supposition  is  utterly  improbable 
and  altogether  worthless.  It  is  really  an  imposi- 
tion on  credulity  to  urge  it.  And  that  certainly 
never  can  be  proved  as  long  as  the  sixth  chapter 
of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  remains  a  part  of  the 
inspired  volume.  As  to  Stephen,  another  of  the 
"  seven,"  disputing  with  gainsayers  in  private,  and 
defending  himself  before  the  Council;  it  was  not 
ofluicial  preaching  at  all.  It  was  nothing  more  than 
every  professing  Christian  is  at  all  times  not  only 
at  liberty,  but  under  obligation  to  do,  when  assailed 


232  DIFFERENCE   BETWKSII 

by  unbelievers,  or  when  brought  before  an  unjust 
tribunal. 

The  truth  is,  the  practice  of  connecting  the  func- 
tions of  preaching  and  baptizing  with  the  Deacon's 
office,  i.«  one  of  the  various  human  inventions  which 
early  begun  to  spring  up  in  the  Church,  and  which 
turned  almost  every  ecclesiastical  office  which  had 
been  divinely  instituted  more  or  less  from  its  primi- 
tive character.  "  But  from  tlie  beginning  it  was  not 
so."  It  is  a  departure  from  the  apostolical  model. 
We  find,  indeed,  in  several  of  the  writers^f  the  first 
three  or  four  centuries,  frequent  intimations  of  Dea- 
cons being  permitted  to  preach,  and  administer  the 
ordinance  of  baptism.  But  in  almost  every  instance, 
it  is  represented  as  done  in  virtue  of  a  specific  per- 
mission from  the  Pastor  or  Biahop  in  each  case,  and 
as  entirely  unlawful  without  such  permission.  A 
very  different  thing  from  a  function  inherent  in  an 
oflSce,  and  always  lawful  when  a  proper  occasion 
for  its  exercise  occurred  !  In  fact,  ecclesiastical 
history,  I  believe,  will  bear  me  out  in  saying,  that, 
within  the  first  three  centuries,  it  would  be  just  as 
correct  to  assert  that  private  Christians  in  general 
had  a  right  to  preach  and  baptize,  as  to  maintain 
that  Deacons,  in  virtue  of  their  office  as  such,  had 
this  right,  because  we  meet  with  some  instances 
of  their  being  both  called  upon  to  do  so  in  cases  of 
supposed  necessity,  or  when  specially  permitted 
by  superior  ecclesiastics.  Mr.  Bingham,  the  learned 
Episcopal  antiquary,  explicitly  tells  us,  on  the 
authority  of  several  early  writers,  that  private 
Christians,  who  sustained  no  office  whatever  in 
the  Church,  were  sometimes  called  upon  to  address 
the  people,  in  the  absence,  or  at  the  special  request 
of  him  whose  official  duty  it  was  to  preach.     The 


ELDERS   AND   DEACONS.  233 

same  learned  author  goes  on  to  state,  that,  in  the 
apostolic  age,  or  as  long  as  the  special  gifts  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  enaKling  men  to  prophesy,  continued, 
all  who  possessed  such  special  gifts,  whether  in 
office  or  not,  might  use  "  the  word  of  exhortation" 
in  the  Church.  "  But  then,"  he  adds,  "  as  such  ex- 
traordinary gifts  of  the  Spirit  of  prophecy,  were 
in  a  manner  peculiar  to  the  apostolical  age,  this 
could  not  be  a  rule  to  the  following  ages  of  the 
Church.  And,  therefore,  when  once  these  gifts 
were  ceased,  the  Church  went  prudently  by  an- 
other rule,  to  allow  none  but  such  as  were  called 
by  an  ordinary  commission  to  perform  this  office, 
except  where  some  extraordinary  natural  endow- 
ments (such  as  were  in  Origen  before  his  ordina- 
tion) answering  in  some  measure  to  those  special 
gifts,  made  it  proper  to  grant  a  license  to  laymen 
to  exercise  their  talents  for  the  benefit  of  the 
Church.  Or  else,  when  necessity  imposed  the 
duty  on  Deacons,  to  perform  the  office  of  preach- 
ing, when  the  Bishop  and  Presbyters  were  by 
sickness,  or  other  means,  debarred  from  it.  For 
the  aforesaid  author  (Ambrose)  plainly  says,  that 
Deacons,  in  his  time,  were  not  ordinarily  allowed 
prasdicare  in  populo,  i.  e.  preach  to  the  people,  as 
being  an  office  to  which  they  had  no  ordinary  com- 
mission. And  the  same  is  said  by  the  author  of 
the  Apostolical  Constitutions,  and  many  others. 
Therefore,  since  Deacons  were  not  allowed  this 
power,  but  only  in  some  special  cases ;  it  is  the 
less  to  be  wondered  at,  after  the  ceasing  of  spiritual 
gifts,  it  should,  generally,  be  denied  to  laymen."* 
A  mistake  on  this  point,  in  reference  to  the 
Deacon's  office,  has  arisen   from  misinterpreting 

*  Bingham's  Origines  Ecclesiasticoe,  B.  14.  Ch.  4.  sect.  4. 


234  DIFFERENCE   BETWEEN 

certain  terms  which  are  used  by  some  of  the  early- 
writers  to  express  their  public  service.    The  words 
Kn^vyfAit,  KM^u^,  Kiie^va-aoo)  (fee.  are   frequently   used  in 
the  New  Testament  to  express  the  public  preacher, 
and   preaching  of  the   gospel.     Now,   when   the 
same  words   are  applied   by  some  of  the  earlier 
Greek   Fathers,    and   the    corresponding    words, 
prseco,  prsedicatio,  and  pr8edicare,  by  the  Latins, 
to  the  Deacon's  office,  it  has  been  hastily  concluded 
that  they  were,  habitually,  preachers,  in  the  New 
Testament  sense  of  the  term.     But  the  truth  is, 
as  every  one  in  the  least  degree  acquainted  with 
those  writers,  knows,  these  terms,  when  used  by 
the   Fathers,  signify  an  entirely  different  thing. 
The  Deacons,  in  the  third,  fourth,  and  fifth  cen- 
turies, are  every  where  represented  as  the  common 
heralds  or  criers  of  the  Church. — That  is,  when 
any  public  notice  was  to  be  given ;  when  the  cate- 
chumens or  the  penitents  were  to  be  called  upon 
aloud  to  come  forward,  or  to  withdraw ;  or  when 
any  public  proclamation  was  to   be  made,  in  the 
course  of  the  service  in  the  Church; — it  belonged 
to  the  Deacon's  office  to  perform  this  duty.    Hence 
he  was  called  the   »t«§y|>  or  crier,  and   was   said 
Knpuya-itv,  to  cry  aloud,  or  make  proclamation.     It 
belonged  to  the  Deacons,  also,  to  keep  order  at  the 
doors,  when  the  service  was  beginning;  to  see  that 
the  worshippers  were  seated  in  a  quiet  and  orderly 
manner;   to  stand  around  the  communion  table, 
when  it  was  spread,  and  with  fans  made  either  of 
dried  skins,  or  peacocks  feathers,  to  keep  off  the 
flies  from  the  consecrated  elements ;  and,  after  the 
consecration  of  the  sacramental  elements,  to  bear 
them  to  the  communicants.     These,  and  a  variety 
of  subordinate  duties,  were  considered  as  pertain- 
ing to  their  office,  and  hence  they  were  regarded. 


ELDERS    AND    DEACONS.  235 

not  as  having  any  part  of  the  priesthood,  according 
to  the  language  of  that  day;  but  as  bein^  the 
"Church's  servants."  All  this  is  so  explicitly  ac- 
knowledged, and  so  aluindantly  proved,  by  the 
learned  Bingliam,  [Origines  Ecclesiasticae,  Book  ii. 
Chap.  20,  and  Book  xiv.  Chap.  4.)  that  any  further 
enlargement  on  the  subject  is  altogether  unneces- 
sary. The  original  office  of  the  Deacon  was  one 
of  high  trust  and  dignity;  requiring  much  piety, 
wisdom,  prudence,  and  diligence.  But  when  the 
purity  of  the  Church,  both  in  doctrine  and  practice, 
declined,  and  especially,  when  the  ardour  of  her 
charity  to  the  poor  had  greatly  slackened,  that  offi- 
cer, having  little  to  do  in  his  appropriate  department, 
sunk,  for  a  time,  into  a  kind  of  ecclesiastical  menial. 

3.  The  directions  afterwards  given  by  Paul  to 
Timothy,  (1  Tim.  iii.)  respecting  the  proper  quali- 
fications of  candidates  for  the  Deacon's  office,  are 
decisively  opposed  to  the  view  of  the  subject  which 
I  am  now  examining.  When  the  Apostle  speaks 
of  the  qualifications  indispensable  in  a  Teaching 
Elder,  or  Bishop,  he  says  he  must  not  only  be 
grave,  pious,  and  of  good  report,  but  also  "  «/}^  to 
teach,,^^  Slc.  But  he  prescribes  no  such  condition 
in  the  choice  of  Deacons.  He  gives  no  intimation 
that  teaching  made  any  part  of  their  official  work. 
It  is  said,  indeed,  that  they  ought  to  be  men  "  hold- 
ing the  mystery  of  the  faith  in  a  pure  conscience." 
By  which  I  understand  to  be  meant,  that  they  must 
be  men  holding  the  true  faith  in  sincerity;  in  other 
words,  that  they  must  be  orthodox,  and  pious; 
qualifications  which  ought  to  be  found  in  all  who 
bear  office  in  the  Church  of  God. 

4.  We  have  not  the  least  evidence,  from  any 
source,  that  the  function  of  government  was  ever 
connected   with  the   Deacon's  office.      We  read 


236  DIFFEEENCE  BETWEEN 

of  Ruling  Elders,  but  never  of  Ruling  Deacons. 
Among  all  the  raiilliplied  witnesses  drawn  from  the 
Synagogue  and  the  Church,  and  from  almost  all 
denominations  of  Christians,  ancient  and  modern, 
in  favour  of  a  bench  of  Elders  in  each  congregation 
for  conducting  its  government  and  discipline,  I  re- 
collect no  example  of  the  members  of  that  bench 
being  called  Deacons,  or  of  Deacons  having  any 
place  among  them.  Nay,  it  is  perfectly  manifest, 
that  if,  according  to  the  scriptural  model,  there 
ought  to  be  a  bench  or  college,  made  up  of  a 
plurality  of  Elders  in  each  Church,  to  be  intrusted 
with  the  inspection  and  rule  of  the  whole  body; 
then  there  is  not  a  siiadow  of  evidence  to  support 
the  claim  of  the  Deacons  to  a  seat  in  that  body. 
But  if  such  a  bench  of  Rulers,  under  the  name  of 
Elders,  or  Presbyters,  be  given  up,  then,  I  will 
venture  to  assert,  there  is  not  a  shred  of  evidence, 
either  in  or  out  of  tiie  Bible,  that  similar  powers 
were  ever  assigned  to  Deacons,  as  such.  We  may, 
indeed,  call  our  Ruling  Eiders,  by  the  name  of 
Deacons,  if  we  please.  And  so  we  may  call  them 
Dervises,  or  Imams,  with  the  Turks;  and  say  that 
we  mean  by  these  titles,  to  designate  the  members 
of  the  parochial  Presbytery,  or  Consistory,  in  each 
Church.  But  the  real  questions  which  present 
themselves  for  solution  are  such  as  these  : — Is  it 
agreeable  to  the  New  Testament  model,  that  there 
be  in  every  Christian  congregation  a  plurality  of 
pious  and  prudent  men,  invested  with  the  office  of 
inspection  and  government  in  the  Church  ?  Or, 
ought  all  ecclesiastical  authority  and  discipline  to 
be  exercised  by  the  Pastor  alone  ?  If  the  former  be 
admitted,  then,  ought  the  body  of  spiritual  rulers  to 
be  styled  Elders  or  Deacons?  If  the  latter  name  be 
contended  for,  as  the  more  scriptural,  then  what 


ELDERS   AND  DEACONS.  237 

passage  of  Scripture,  orof  early  uninspired  history, 
can  be  mentioned,  whicli  countenances  the  appli- 
cation of  this  title  to  ecclesiastical  rulers,  as  such? 
The  truth  is,  it  is  not  perceived  how  any  can  con- 
sistently maintain,  that  the  officers  whom  Presby- 
terians are  wont  to  call  Ruling  Elders,  are  really 
Deacons,  and  ought  to  be  so  designated,  without 
abandoning  the  Church  Session,  as  destitute  of  all 
scriptural  warrant.  He  who  does  this,  however, 
must  hold,  either  that  the  Pastor  of  each  Church 
has  the  whole  government  and  discipline  in  his 
own  hands,  and  that  the  persons  called  Elders,  or 
Deacons,  are  only  a  set  of  convenient  advisers, 
without  any  rightful  judicial  authority;  or  that  all 
authority  ought  to  be  exercised  by  the  body  of  the 
communicants,  and  every  question  of  admission  or 
discipline  submitted  to  their  vote.  In  the  latter 
case,  he  may  be  a  very  pious  and  excellent  Inde- 
pendent; but  he  has  no  claim  to  the  character  of 
a  Presbyterian. 

It  is  deeply  to  be  regretted,  that  the  office  of 
Deacon,  in  its  true  nature,  and  its  highly  important 
and  scriptural  character,  is  not  to  be  found  in  many 
Presbyterian  Churches.  In  some,  this  office  is 
wholly  dropped.  Neither  the  name  nor  the  thing  is 
to  be  found  in  them.  In  others,  the  Ruling  Elders, 
or  the  members  of  the  Church  Session,  are  constant- 
ly styled  Deacons,  and  scarcely  ever  designated  by 
any  other  title ;  while  the  office  really  indicated  in 
Scripture  by  that  title  is  not  retained.  And  in  a 
third  class  of  our  Churches,  those  who  are  meant 
for  real  Deacons,  that  is,  who  are  chosen  and  set 
apart  as  such,  as  well  as  called  by  that  name,  are 
employed  in  functions  for  which  the  office  of 
Deacon  was  never  instituted.  The  cases,  it  is 
feared,  are  few  in  which  the  offices  of  Elder  and 


238  DIFFERENCE   BETWEEN 

Deacon  are  both  retained,  and  the  appropriate 
functions  of  each  distinctly  maintained. 

Perhaps  in  a  majority  of  our  Churches  tlie  office 
of  Deacon,  strictly  so  called  is  entirely  dropped. 
This,  it  is  believed,  is  also  virtually  the  case,  to  a 
considerable  extent  in  tlie  Church  of  Scotland,  and 
amonf^  the  large  and  respectable  body  of  Presby- 
terians in  the  North  of  Ireland.  The  origin  of 
this  extensive  disuse  of  an  unquestionable  scrip- 
tural office,  is  probably  to  be  traced  to  the  peculiar 
form  of  the  provision  made  in  some  countries  for 
the  support  of  the  poor,  which  was  supposed  to 
render  the  deaconship,  as  a  separate  office,  unne- 
cessary. Deacons  had  a  place  in  the  original  or- 
ganization of  the  Protestant  Church  of  Scotland; 
and,  for  many  years  after  the  Reformation,  were 
universally  retained  and  much  employed  in  that 
Church,  as  a  distinct  class  of  officers.  But,  in 
later  times  the  offiice  has  either  been  suffered  to  fall 
into  disuetude  altoofether,  or.  as  is  more  common, 
has  been  united  with  that  of  Rulinof  Elder,  in  the 
same  individuals.  So  that  the  Ruling  Elders  in 
the  Church  of  Scotland,  are  generally  expected, 
and  undertake,  to  act  as  Deacons  also.  The  same 
arrangement,  it  is  believed,  is  also  generally  adopted 
among  the  Presbyterians  in  Ireland. 

As  to  those  Churches  in  our  own  country  in 
which  the  office  of  Deacon  has  been  suffi:;red  to  fall 
into  disuse  altogether,  this  event  is  certainly,  on  a 
variety  of  accounts,  to  be  regretted  : — among  others, 
for  the  following  reasons  : 

1.  Every  scriptural  precedent  is  worthy  of  serious 
regard.  The  o0ice  of  Deacon  was  evidenUy  brought 
into  the  Church  by  inspired  men.  And  although 
it  is  not  contended  that  it  is  essential  to  an  organ- 
ized Church  to  have  officers  of  this  class,  inasmuch 


ELDERS    AND    DEACONS.  239 

as  the  Church,  undoubtedly,  did  without  them,  for 
a  short  time,  after  its  first  organization  ;  yet  as  the 
office  is  an  institution  of  infinite  wisdom,  and  ne- 
cessary to  a  full  array  of  all  the  officers  which  be- 
long to  the  visible  Church,  it  seems  expedient  to 
retain  it,  in  all  cases  in  which  it  is  possible. 

2.  We  know  that,  in  every  Jewish  Synagogue, 
before  the  coming  of  Christ,  there  was  a  class  of 
officers  whose  peculiar  duty  it  was  to  collect  and 
dispense  the  monies  contributed  for  the  support  of 
the  poor.  This  seems  to  have  been  an  invariable 
part  of  the  Synagogue  system.  And  as  that  sys- 
tem was  evidently  the  model  on  which  the  Chris- 
tian Church  was  formed,  we  may  presume  that  a 
feature  of  it  so  strongly  recommended  by  age  and 
experience,  is  worthy  of  adoption. 

3.  Although  some  Churches  may  plead  an  ex- 
cuse for  discontinuing  the  use  of  this  office,  that 
they  have  no  Church  poor,  and,  therefore,  no  occa- 
sion for  the  appropriate  services  of  Deacons  ;  yet 
the  question  is,  ought  they  to  allow  this  to  be  the 
case?  What  though  the  laws  of  the  State  make 
provision  of  a  decent  kind  for  all  the  poor?  Are 
there  not  within  the  bounds,  and  even  among 
the  communicants,  of  every  Church  of  any  ex- 
tent, and  of  the  ordinary  standing  in  point  of 
age,  generally  found  a  greater  or  less  number  of 
persons  who  have  seen  more  comfortable  days, 
but  are  now  reduced  ; — aged  widows;  persons  of 
delicate,  retiring  spirits,  who  are  struggling  with 
the  most  severe  privations  of  poverty  in  secret,  but 
cannot  bring  themselves  to  apply  to  the  civil  officer 
for  aid  as  paupers  ;  who,  at  the  same  time,  would 
be  made  comparatively  comfortable  by  a  pittance 
now  and  then  administered  in  the  tender  and  affec- 
tionate spirit  of  the   gospel?     Now,  ought   the 


240  DIFFERENCE   BETWEEN 

Church  to  take  no  measures  for  searching  out  such 
members,  who  are  not  and  cannot  be  reached  by 
the  legal  provision,  and  kindly  ministering  to  their 
comfort  ?  But  if  there  be  no  class  of  officers  whose 
appropriate  duty  it  is  to  make  this  whole  concern 
an  object  of  their  attention,  it  will  too  often  be 
neglected,  and  thus  the  interest  of  Christian  charity 
seriously  suffer.  It  is  not  a  sufficient  answer  to 
this  argument  to  say,  as  those  who  philosophize 
on  the  subject  of  pauperism,  say,  and,  to  a  certain 
extent,  with  great  truth,  that  this  very  provision 
would  probably  invite  application,  and  perhaps,  in 
some  instances,  induce  improper  reliance  upon  it, 
to  the  neglect  of  economy  and  diligence.  Sup- 
posing lliis,  in  some  degree,  to  be  the  case ;  would 
it  not  be  better  to  relieve  some  portion  of  the  po- 
verty brought  on  by  improvidence,  than  to  allow 
humble,  tender  piety  to  pine  in  secret,  impitied, 
and  unrelieved,  under  the  pressure  of  that  helpless 
penury,  which  was  induced  by  the  hand  of  a  sove- 
reign God  ?  Nay,  is  no  pity,  no  active  sympathy 
due  from  the  Church  even  to  indigence  notoriously 
induced  by  sin?  The  considerations  which  have 
been  suggested,  furnish,  indeed,  a  good  argument 
for  having  Deacons  of  suitable  character; — men  of 
piety,  wisdom,  benevolence,  practical  acquaintance 
with  the  world,  and  with  human  nature,  who  would 
be  likely  to  perform  their  duty  with  discernment, 
prudence,  and  unfeigned  Christian  charily,  cau- 
tiously guarding  against  the  evils  to  which  the  re- 
lief they  are  commissioned  to  bear  is  exposed  ;  but 
no  argument  at  all  against  affording  such  relief 
when  really  needed. 

4.  It  is  a  great  error  to  suppose  that  Deacons  can- 
not be  appropriately  and  profitably  employed  in 
various  other  ways  besides  ministering  to  the  poor 


ELDERS    AND    DEACONS.  241 

of  the  Church.  They  miglit,  witli  great  propriety 
be  made  the  managers  of  all  the  money-tables,  or 
fiscal  concerns  of  each  congregation;  and,  for  this 
purpose,  might  be  incorporated,  if  it  were  thought 
necessary,  by  law,  that  they  might  be  enabled  re- 
gularly to  hold  and  emphiy  all  the  property,  real 
and  personal,  of  the  Church.  But,  even  if  it  were 
thought  inexpedient  that  boards  of  Deacons  should 
be  allowed  thus  to  supersede  the  boards  of  "Trus- 
tees," which  are,  at  present,  commonly  employed 
to  manage  each  ecclesiastical  treasury  ;  still  there 
are  very  important  services  in  reference  to  pecu- 
niary concerns,  which  they  might  manage,  and 
which,  it  is  believed,  would  be  greatly  beneficial  to 
the  Church  if  they  were  considered  as  at  all  times 
bound  to  manage,  and  should  actually  manage  with 
wisdom,  energy,  and  zeal.  I  refer  to  the  Church's 
contribution  to  the  various  great  objects  of  Chris- 
tian enterprise  which  distinguish  the  present  day. 
That  these  contributions  to  the  cause  of  the  Bible  ; 
of  Missions,  foreign  and  domestic;  of  Sabbath 
Schools;  and  of  the  various  other  Christian  and 
benevolent  undertakings  for  promoting  knowledge, 
virtue,  and  happiness,  temporal  and  eternal,  among 
men,  ought  to  be  continued,  and  greatly  increased, 
no  one  who  looks  into  the  Bible,  or  who  knows 
any  thing  of  the  Christian  spirit,  can  for  a  moment 
doubt.  It  is  quite  evident,  too,  that  these  contri- 
butions ought  to  be  perfectly  voluntary,  and  that 
any  attempt  to  render  them  otherwise,  would  be 
both  unscriptural  and  mischievous.  But  would  it 
not  tend  to  render  the  whole  business  of  liberality 
to  the  cause  of  Christ  more  regular,  more  easy, 
more  abundant,  and  ultimately  more  productive,  if 
it  were  placed  under  the  enlightened  advice,  and 
wise  management  of  six  or  eight  Deacons  in  each 


242  DIFFERENCE  BETWEEN 

Church  ?  Suppose  the  Pastor  and  the  Elders  of 
every  congregation  to  be  animated  with  a  proper 
spirit  on  this  subject,  and  to  be  liabiiually  uttering 
and  difTiisiiig  proper  sentiments;  and  suppose  the 
whole  business  of  collecting  the  contributions,  and 
paying  them  over  to  the  respective  treasuries  for 
whicii  they  were  desiiiied,  were  devolved  on  the 
Deacons,  as  an  executive  board,  who  mi<;ht  call 
to  their  aid,  and  would  really  confer,  as  well  as  re- 
ceive a  benefit,  by  calling  to  their  aid,  in  the  de- 
tails of  collection,  a  number  of  active,  j)ious  sub- 
agents?  Can  any  one  doubt  tiiat  the  contributions 
of  the  Churches  would  be  more  systematic,  more 
regular,  more  conveniently  received,  belter  propor- 
lioi'ied,  and  a  pari,  at  least,  and,  in  some  cases,  a 
large  part,  of  tlie  expenses  paid  to  travelling  agents, 
saved  for  the  cause  of  Christ?  The  truth  is,  an  en- 
lightened, active,  pious  board  of  Deacons  might 
place  this  whole  subject  on  such  a  footing,  and 
when  they  had  gotten  it  fairly  arranged,  and  under 
way,  might  manage  it  in  such  a  manner,  as  with- 
out adding  in  the  least  degree  to  the  burdens  of  tlie 
people,  would  render  iheir  contributions  more  pro- 
ductive, as  well  as  more  easy  and  economical  in 
every  part  of  their  management. 

With  respect  to  the  mode  of  disposing  of  the 
Deacon's  ollice  adopted  extensively  in  our  sister 
Churches  of  ScoUand  and  Ireland,*  and  in  a  few 
instances,  in  this  country,  namely  laying  it  on  the 
Ruling  Elders,  and  uniting  both  offices  in  the  same 
individual — it  is,  undoid)te(ily,  liable  to  very  strong 
objections,  as  will  appear  from  the  following  con- 
siderations. 

*  The  same  mixture  of  offices  has  also  long  existed,  it 
is  believed,  in  the  Church  of  Geneva.  See  Le  Mercier's, 
Ch.  Hist.  ofGen.  p.  214. 


ELDERS    AND    DEACONS.  243 

1.  One  office  is  quite  enoujih  to  be  borne  by  the 
same  person;  especially  an  office  so  important,  so 
responsible,  so  abundantly  sufficient  to  employ  the 
heart,  the  hands,  and  the  time  of  the  most  active 
and  zealous,  as  that  of  the  Ruling  Elder.  How- 
ever pious,  wise,  and  unwearied  he  may  be,  he 
will  find  the  work  pertaining  to  his  office  as  Elder, 
enoujzh,  and  more  than  enouj^h,  especially  in  this 
day  of  enlarged  Christian  activity,  to  put  in  requi- 
sition all  his  powers.  Why,  then,  add  another  of- 
fice to  one  already  occupied,  if  he  be  faithlul,  to  the 
utmost  extent  of  his  faculties?  Similar  remarks 
may  be  made,  to  a  considerable  extent,  concerning 
the  Deacon's  office.  It  is  enough,  when  faithfully 
discharged,  to  occupy  all  the  leisure  time  of  the 
most  active  and  failhiul  incumbent.  Both  certainly 
cannot  be  undertaken  by  the  same  individual,  with- 
out some  of  the  duties  pertaining  to  one  or  the 
other  being  neglected. 

2.  Where  there  are  suitable  candidates  for  office 
among  the  communicants  of  a  Church,  it  is  com- 
monly wise  to  distribute  offices  as  extensively 
among  them  as  circumstances  will  conveniently 
admit.  If,  indeed,  there  be  a  dearth  of  proper  ma- 
terials for  making  ecclesiastical  officers,  the  dif- 
ficulty must  be  surmounted  in  the  best  way  that  is 
practicable.  But  if  there  be  individuals  enough 
to  sustain  it,  the  diffusion  of  office  power  among  a 
considerable  number,  is  so  far  from  being  an  evil, 
that  it  is  manifestly,  and  may  be  highly,  advan- 
tageous. It  brings  a  greater  number  to  take  an  in- 
terest in  the  affairs  of  the  Church.  It  makes  a 
greater  number  intimately  acquainted  with  ^he  con- 
cerns of  the  Church.  And  by  calling  a  greater 
number  to  pray,  and  speak  and  act  in  behall  of  the 
Church,  it  tends  to  promote  the  spiritual,  and,  it 


244  DIFFERENCE    BETWEEN 

may  be,  the  cverlaslin<r  benefit  of  ihem  anrl  their 
children.  Why,  then,  heap  a  plurality  of  offices 
upon  a  single  person  ?  It  is  depriving  the  Church 
of  a  manifest  advantage  ;  and  may  be  the  means 
of  depriving  the  individuals  themselves  of  both 
comfort  and  edification. 

3.  If  there  be  not  an  absolute  incompatibility 
between  the  offices  of  Ruling  Elder  and  Deacon, 
there  is  at  least,  such  an  interference  between  their 
re8j)ective  duties,  as  is  certainly  undesirable,  and 
ought  by  all  means  to  be  avoided.  There  is  a  col- 
lision in  this  case  analogous  to  that  which  takes 
place  when  a  man  visits  the  sick  in  the  double 
character  of  a  physician  and  minister  of  the  Gospel. 
For  although,  in  many  cases,  the  duties  and  ser- 
vices of  each  character  may  happily  harmonize, 
and  help  one  another;  yet,  perhaps,  in  many 
more,  it  will  appear  to  the  discerning  eye  that  they 
had  better  be  separated.  When  an  Elder,  as  such, 
goes  forth  to  the  discharge  of  his  official  duties,  it 
is  to  promote  the  spiritual  interest  of  the  flock  of 
which  he  is  made  one  of  the  "  overseers.''  To 
this  purpose  it  is  important  that  he  should  have 
the  most  unreserved  and  confidential  access  to  all 
the  members  of  the  fiock,  and  their  children  ;  and 
that  nothing  should  be  allowed  to  intervene  which 
was  adapted  to  disguise  the  feelings,  to  divide  the 
attention,  or  to  clojr  the  operations  of  either  party. 
But  if,  when  this  Elder  visits  the  poor  for  the  fake 
of  benefitting  their  souls,  they  receive  him  with 
smiles,  with  apparent  cordiality,  and  with  much 
pious  talk,  chiefly  for  the  concealed  purpose  of  in- 
creasing the  allowance  which,  as  Deacon,  he  may 
be  disposed  to  minister  to  them;  or,  when  he 
visits  them  as  a  Deacon,  they  feel  jealous,  or  alien- 
ated, on  account  of  some  supposed  deficiency  in 


ELDERS  AND   DEACONS.  245 

that  allowance,  and,  of  course,  in  some  measure 
close  their  minds  against  him  as  their  spiritual 
guide :  or,  when  the  mind  of  the  Presbyter- 
Deacon  himself  becomes  divided  and  perplexed 
between  the  rival  claims  of  these  two  classes  of 
duties,  less  good  is  done;  less  pure  unmingled 
feeling  exercised;  and  less  comfort  enjoyed  on 
either  side.* 

On  all  these  accounts,  the  two  offices  in  ques- 
tion, as  they  are  entirely  different  in  their  nature, 
ought,  undoubtedly,  to  be  separated  in  practice,  to 
be  discharged  by  different  persons,  and  to  be  care- 
fully guarded  against  that  interference  which  is 
adapted  to  render  both  less  useful. 

We  are  led,  then,  by  the  foregoing  facts  and  ar- 
guments, to  the  following  conclusions: 

1.  Tliat  the  Deacon  is  a  divinely  instituted  offi- 
cer, and  ought  to  be  retained  in  the  Church. 

2.  That  the  function  to  which  the  Deacon  was 
appointed  by  the  Apostles,  was  to  manage  the  pe- 
cuniary affairs  of  the  Church,  and  especially  to 
preside  over  the  collections  and  disbursements  for 
the  poor. 

3.  That  Deacons,  therefore,  ought  not  only  to 
be  men  of  piety,  but  also  of  judgment,  prudence, 
knowledge  of  the  world,  and  weight  of  character. 

4.  That  preaching  was  not,  in  the  primitive 
Church,  any  part  of  the  Deacon's  duty,  but  came 
in,  among  other  human  innovations,  as  corruption 
gained  ground. 

5.  That  there  is  no  warrant  whatever  for  assign- 
ing to  Deacons  the  function  of  government  in  the 


*  See  this  subject  treated  in  a  striking  manner,  and  at 
considerable  length,  in  Dr.  Chalmers'  Christian  and  Civic 
Economy  of  Large  Towns.     Vol.  i.  Chapter  vii. 

21 


246  DIFFERESCE,    &.C. 

Church  ;  and  ihatlheir  undertaking  any  such  funQ- 
tion,  is  nothing  less  than  ecclesiastical  usurpation. 

6.  That  confounding  the  office  of  Deacon  with 
that  of  Ruling  Elder,  is  an  unwarranted  confusion, 
both  of  names  and  offices,  which  are  entirely  dis- 
tinct. 

7.  That  even  the  uniting  of  these  two  offices  in 
the  same  persons,  is  by  no  means  advisable,  and 
tends  materially  to  impair  the  comfort  and  useful- 
ness of  both. 

8.  That  Deacons  ought  to  be  ordained  by  the 
imposition  of  liands.  In  this  ordination  the  hands 
of  the  Pastor  and  of  the  Eldership  ought  to  be  laid 
on.  I  know  not  the  shadow  of  a  reason  why  this 
solemnity  should  be  omitted.  The  venerable  Dr. 
Dwight,  in  his  System  of  Theology,  when  treating 
on  the  office  of  Deacons,  unequivocally  declares 
his  conviction  that  the  laying  on  of  hands  ought 
always  to  be  employed  in  setting  them  apart;  and 
pronounces  the  omission  of  it  to  be  "  incapable,  so 
far  as  he  knows,  of  any  defence."  The  disregard 
of  scriptural  example  in  the  omission,  is  as  pain- 
ful, as  it  is  obvious  and  unquestionable. 

9.  That  the  Deacons,  although  they  ought  al- 
ways, if  possible,  to  be  present  at  the  meetings  of 
the  Church  Session,  for  the  sake  of  giving  infor- 
mation, and  aiding  in  counsel,  can  have  no  vote  as 
Church  Rulers;  and,  therefore,  cannot  give  their 
vote  in  the  admission  or  exclusion  of  members,  or 
in  any  case  of  ecclesiastical  discipline. 


247 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  QUALIFICATIONS  PROPER  FOR  THIS  OFFICE. 

The  account  which  has  been  given  of  the  nature 
and  duties  of  the  otBce  of  Ruliuij  Elder,  is  adapted 
to  reflect  much  light  on  the  qualifications  by  which 
he  who  bears  it  ought  to  be  distinguished.  Those 
who  are  called  to  such  extensive,  interesting,  and 
highly  important  spiritual  duties ;  duties  which 
enter  so  deeply  into  the  comfort  and  edification  of 
the  Church  of  God ;  it  surely  requires  no  formal 
argument  to  show,  ought  to  possess  a  character  in 
some  degree  corresponding  with  the  sphere  in 
which  they  are  appointed  to  move,  i  here  cannot 
be  a  plainer  dictate  of  common  sense.  Yet  to 
attempt  a  brief  sketch  of  the  more  important  of  the 
qualifications  demanded  for  this  office,  may  not  be 
altogether  unprofitable. 

And  here,  it  may  be  observed,  in  the  outset,  that 
it  is  by  no  means  necessary  that  Ruling  Elders 
should  be  aged  persons.  For  although  it  cannot 
be  doubted  that  the  title  is,  literally,  expressive  of 
age  ;  and  although  it  is  equally  certain,  that  ori- 
ginally, the  ot^ce  was  generally  conferred  on  men 
somewhat  advanced  in  life,  as  being  most  likely, 
other  things  being  equal,  to  possess  wisdom,  pru- 
dence, experience,  and  weight  of  character ;  yet 
the  term,  from  a  very  early  period,  came  to  be  a 
mere  title  of  office,  without  any  respect  to  the  years 
of  the  individual  who  bore  it.  This  is  evident, 
not  only  from  the  history  of  Jewish  practice,  but 
also  from  the  statements  of  the  New  Testament. 


248  QUALIFICATIONS   FOR 

If  Timothy  was  not  merely  a  Ruling,  but  also  a 
Teacliinf^  Elder,  llioujrh  so  yoiiiifr  a  man,  that  the 
Apostle  said,  to  him,  let  no  man  despise  thy  youth  ; 
and  if,  in  every  n^e  of  llie  Church,  young  men 
have  been  considered  as  qualified  on  the  score  of 
age,  to  be  Elders  that  labour  in  the  word  and  doc- 
trine, as  well  as  rule  ;  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
young  men,  if  otherwise  well  qualified,  may  with 
propriety  be  appointed  Elders  to  assist  in  ruling 
the  Church  of  God.  Nay,  where  such  persons, 
with  other  suitable  qualifications  are  to  be  found, 
it  is  expedient  to  i:itroduce  some  in  younger  life 
into  the  Eldersliip  of  every  (Jhurch,  not  only  that 
there  may  be  individuals  in  the  body  fitted  for 
more  active  duties ;  but  also  that  some  of  the  num- 
ber may  have  the  kind  of  official  training,  and  that 
familiarity  with  ecclesiastical  business,  which  early 
experience,  and  long  habit  alone  can  give. 

It  may  be  remarked,  however,  that,  although 
neither  Scripture,  nor  the  Constituiion  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  prescribes  any  absolute  rule  with 
respect  to  the  age  of  those  who  may  be  considered 
as  candidates  for  the  Eldership;  yet  it  is  very  ma- 
nifest, that  those  who  arc  either  minors  in  age,  or 
*' novices"  in  the  Christian  character  and  profes- 
sion, ought  by  no  means,  in  ordinary  circum- 
stances, to  be  elected  to  this  ofiTice.  In  the  Church 
of  Scotland,  the  rule  is,  that  no  one  can  be  chosen 
an  Elder  who  is  not  twenty-one  years  of  age.  A 
similar  regulation,  it  is  believed,  exists  in  some 
other  foreign  Churches  ;  and  it  may  be  considered 
as  a  dictate  of  common  prudence. 

But,  though  the  circumstance  of  age,  as  a  general 
rule,  does  not  enter  into  the  essential  qualifications 
of  Ruling  Elders  ;  there  are  other  qualifications 
which  are  highly  important,  and,  indeed,   indis- 


THIS    OFFICE.  249 

pensable.  These  are  stated  by  the  inspired  Apostle, 
in  writing  to  Timothy,  in  the  following  compre- 
hensive, and  pointed  language  : — "  An  Elder  must 
be  blameless,  the  husband  of  one  wife,  having  faith- 
ful children;  one  that  ruleth  well  his  own  house, 
having  his  children  in  subjection  with  all  gravity; 
not  accused  of  riot,  or  unruly;  not  self-willed;  not 
soon  angry;  not  given  to  wine;  no  striker;  not 
given  to  filthy  lucre  ;  but  a  lover  of  hospitality  ;  a 
lover  of  good  men;  sober,  just,  holy,  temperate, 
sound  in  the  faith,  in  charity,  in  patience."  See 
Timothy  iii.  compared  with  Titus  i.  6 — 8,  and  ii. 
2,  which  passages  evidently  appear,  on  tracing  the 
connexion,  to  be  equally  applicable  to  Teaching 
and  Ruling. 

The  design  of  appointing  persons  to  the  office 
of  Ruling  Elder  is,  not  to  pay  them  a  compliment ; 
not  to  give  them  an  opportunity  of  figuring  as 
speakers  in  judicatories  ;  not  to  create  the  pageants 
of  ecclesiastical  ceremony ;  but  to  secure  able, 
faithful,  and  truly  devoted  counsellors  and  rulers  of 
the  Church.  To  obtain  wise  and  efficient  guides, 
who  shall  not  only  go  along  with  the  flock  in  their 
journey  heavenward,  but  go  before  them  in  every 
thing  that  pertains  to  Christian  duty. 

It  cannot  be  doubted,  indeed,  that  every  member 
of  the  Christian  Church  is  bound  to  exhibit  a  holy, 
devout,  and  exemplary  life  ;  to  have  his  mind  well 
stored  with  religious  knowledge;  to  be  able  to 
give  an  answer  to  every  one  that  asketh  a  reason 
of  the  hope  that  is  in  him ;  and  to  avoid  every 
thing  that  is  criminal  in  itself,  that  may  be  just 
cause  of  offence  to  his  brethren,  or  that  may  have 
e\^en  the  appearance  of  evil.  But  it  is  equally  ma- 
nifest that  all  these  qualifications  are  still  more  im- 
portant, and  required  in  a  still  higher  degree,  in 


250  QUALIFICATIONS   FOR 

those  who  are  intrusted  with  tlie  spiritual  inspec- 
tion and  reguhilion  of  the  Church.  As  they  occupy 
a  place  of  rn(jre  honour  and  authority  than  the  other 
members  of  the  Church  ;  so  they  also  occupy  a 
station  of  greater  res|)onsibility.  The  eyes  of 
hundreds  will  be  upon  then^i  as  Ehlers,  which  were 
not  upon  them  as  private  Christians.  Their  breth- 
ren and  sisters  over  whom  they  are  placed  in  the 
Lord,  will  naturally  look  up  to  them  for  advice,  for 
instruction,  for  aid  in  the  spiritual  life,  and  for  a 
shining  example.  The  expectation  is  reasonable, 
and  ought  not  to  be  disappointed.  The  qualifica- 
tions of  Elders,  therefore,  ought,  in  some  good 
measure,  to  correspond  with  it. 

1.  An  Elder,  then,  ought,  first  of  all,  to  be  a 
man  of  unfeigned  and  approved  piety.  It  is  to  be 
regretted  when  the  piety  of  any  member  of  the 
Ciiurch  is  doubtful,  or  evidently  feeble  and  wa- 
vering. It  is  depIoral)le  when  any  who  name  the 
name  of  Christ  manifestso  much  indecision  in  their 
profession;  so  mucli  timidity  und  unsteadiness  in 
their  resistance  to  error  and  sin;  so  much  confor- 
mity to  the  world  ;  and  so  little  of  that  undaunted, 
ardent,  and  thorough  adherence  to  their  professed 
principles; — as  to  leave  it  dubious  with  many, 
whether  they  are  "  on  the  Lord's  side"  or  not. 
But  how  much  more  deplorable  when  any  thing  of 
this  kind  appears  in  those  who  are  appointed  to 
watch,  to  preside,  and  to  exert  an  extensive  in- 
fluence, over  a  portion  of  the  family  of  Christ! 
What  is  to  be  expected,  when  "  watchmen  on  the 
walls  of  Zion," — for  such  Ruling  Elders  are  un- 
doubtedly to  be  regarded — appear  as  beacons,  to 
warn  private  Christians  of  what  ought  to  be  avoid- 
ed, rather  than  as  models,  to  guide,  to  attract,  and 


THIS    OFFICE.  251 

to  cheer  them  oa  to  all  that  is  spiritual,  and  holy, 
and  becoming  the  gospel? 

Can  he  who  is  either  destitute  of  piety,  or  who 
has  but  a  small  portion  of  it,  engage  in  the  arduous 
and  deeply  spiritual  duties  of  the  Ruling  Elder, 
whh  comfort  to  himself,  or  with  any  reasonable 
hope  of  success?  It  cannot  be  supposed.  To  fit 
ecclesiastical  Rulers  for  acting  in  their  appropriate 
character,  and  for  performing  the  work  which  per- 
tains to  it,  with  cordial  diligence,  faithfulness,  and 
perseverance,  will  require  cordial  and  decisive  at- 
tachment to  the  service  of  the  Church;  minds  in- 
tent upon  the  work;  hearts  filled  with  love  to  Je- 
sus, and  to  the  souls  of  men;  and  preferring  Jeru- 
salem above  their  chief  joy.  Unless  they  are 
animated  with  this  affectionate  interest  in  their 
work;  unless  they  are  habitually  impelled  by  an 
enlightened  and  cordial  attachment  to  the  great 
cause  in  which  they  are  engaged,  they  will  soon 
become  weary  of  tiieir  arduous  and  self-denying 
labours  ;  they  will  find  waiting  on  the  flock,  visit- 
ing and  praying  with  the  sick,  instructing  the  se- 
rious and  inquiring,  correcting  the  disorderly, 
watching  over  the  spiritual  interests  of  all,  and  at- 
tending the  various  judicatories  of  the  Church,  an 
irksome  task.  But  with  such  a  zeal  as  has  been 
described,  they  will  be  ready  to  contend  for  the 
truth,  to  engage  in  the  most  self-denying  duties, 
nay,  to  "spend  and  be  spent,"  for  Christ.  To 
promote  the  best  interests  of  Zion  will  be  their 
"  meat  and  drink."  No  labours,  no  trials,  no  dif- 
ficulties will  move  them  ;  neither  will  they  count 
their  lives  dear  unto  themselves,  so  that  they  may 
finish  their  course  with  joy,  and  accomplish  the 
work  which  ihey  have  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 
A  few  such  Elders  in  every  Church,  would,  with 


252  QUALiriCATIOiaS  FOB, 

the  divine  blessing,  do  more  to  silence  infidelity, 
to  strike  even  the  scoiner  dumb-^to  promote  the 
triumph  of  gospel  trutli — and  to  rouse,  sustain, 
and  bear  forward  the  cause  of  vital  piety,  than 
hundreds,  of  those  Ministers  and  Elders,  who  act 
as  if  they  supposed  that  supplying  the  little  details 
of  an  ecclesiastical  formality  was  the  whole  pur- 
pose of  their  official  appointment.  And,  in  truth, 
•we  have  no  reason  to  expect,  in  general,  that  the 
piety  of  the  mass  of  members  in  any  Church,  will 
rise  much  higher  than  that  of  their  Rulers  and 
Guides.  Where  the  latter  are  either  lifeless  for- 
malists, or,  at  best,  but  *'  babes  in  Chris;,'*  we 
shall  rarely  find  many  under  their  care  of  more 
vitality,  or,  of  superior  stature. 

2.  S'^ext  to  piety,  it  is  important  that  a  Ruling 
Elder  be  possessed  of  good  sense,  and  sound  judg- 
ment. Without  this  he  will  be  wholly  unfit  to  act 
in  the  various  difficult  and  delicate  cases  which 
may  arise  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty.  A  man  of 
weak  and  childish  mind,  however  fervent  his  piety, 
is  bv  no  means  adapted  to  the  station  of  an  eccle- 
siastical Ruler,  counsellor,  and  guide.  He  who 
bears  the  office  in  question,  is  called  to  have  inter- 
course with  all  classes  of  people  ;  to  engage  in  the 
most  arduous  and  trying  duties;  and  to  deliberate 
and  decide  on  some  of  the  most  perplexing  ques- 
tions that  can  come  before  the  human  mind.  Can 
it  be  doubled  that  good  sense,  and  solid  judgment 
are  indispensable  to  the  due  discharge  of  such  offi- 
cial work  as  this?  How  would  a  judge  on  the 
bench,  or  a  magistrate  in  his  office,  be  likely  to 
get  along  without  this  qualification !  Much  more 
important  is  it,  if  possible,  that  the  ecclesiastical 
Ruler  be  enlightened  and  judicious;  because  he 
deliberates  and  decides  on  more  momentous  sub- 


THIS   OFFICE.  253 

jects;  and  because  he  has  no  other  than  moral 
power  with  which  to  enforce  his  decisions.  Mo- 
ses, therefore,  spoke  the  language  of  good  sense, 
as  well  as  of  inspired  wisdom,  when  he  said  to  the 
people  of  Israel  (Deut.  i.  13,)  "  Take  ye  wise 
men,  and  understanding,  and  known  among  your 
tribes,  and  I  will  make  them  Rulers  over  you.'* 
This  point,  indeed,  it  would  seem,  can  scarcely  be 
made  more  plain  than  common  sense  makes  it; 
and  might,  therefore,  be  considered  as  foreclosing 
all  illustration;  did  not  some  Churches  appear  dis- 
posed to  make  the  experiment,  how  far  infinite 
wisdom  is  to  be  believed,  when  it  pronounces,  by 
the  prophet,  a  woe  against  those  who  make  choice 
of  babes  to  rule  over  them. 

3.  A  Ruling  Ehler  ought  to  be  sound  in  the 
faith,  and  well  informed  in  relation  to  gospel  truth. 
The  Elder  who  is  not  orthodox  in  his  creed,  in- 
stead of  contributing,  as  he  ought,  to  build  up  the 
Church  in  the  knowledge  and  love  of  the  truth, 
will,  of  course,  be  the  means  of  scattering  error,  as 
far  as  his  influence  extends.  And  he  who  is  not 
well  informed  on  the  subject  of  Christian  doctrine, 
will  not  know  whether  he  is  promoting  the  one  or 
the  other.  Accordingly,  when  this  class  of  officers 
is  ordained  in  our  Church,  we  call  upon  them  to 
do  what  we  do  not  require  from  the  private  mem- 
bers of  the  Church,  viz:  solemnly  and  publicly  to 
adopt  the  Confession  of  Faith,  "  as  containing  the 
system  of  doctrine  taught  in  the  Holy  Scriptures." 
When  this  is  considered;  and  also  that  they  are 
expected  to  be,  to  a  certain  extent,  instructers  and 
guides  in  divine  things  to  many  of  those  committed 
to  tlieir  oversight;  and,  above  all,  that  they  will 
be  often  called  to  deliberate  on  charges  of  heresy, 
as  well  as  immorality;  and  to  sit  in  judgment  on 
22 


254  QUALIFICATIONS   FOR 

the  doctrinal  belief,  not  only  of  candidates  for  ad- 
mission into  theChur^*h,  as  private  members;  but 
also  on  cases  of  alleged  aberration  from  tlie  truih 
in  ministers  of  the  gospel;  the  necessity  of  their 
being  "  sound  in  the  faith,"  and  of  their  having 
enlightened  and  clear  views  of  the  system  of  re- 
vealed truth,  is  too  plain  to  need  argument  for  its 
support. 

'J'he  truth  is,  the  Ruling  Elder  who  is  active, 
zealous,  and  faithful,  will  have  occasion,  almost 
every  day,  to  discriminate  between  truth  and  error; 
to  act  as  a  guardian  of  the  Church's  orthodoxy; 
to  pass  his  judgment,  either  privately  or  judicially, 
on  real  or  supposed  departures  from  it;  and  lo  in- 
struct the  inexperienced  and  the  doubling  in  the 
great  doctrines  of  our  holy  religion.  And  although 
all  Elders  are  not  expected  to  be  profound  ih.eolo- 
gians,  any  more  than  all  ministers;  yet  that  the 
former,  as  well  as  the  latter,  should  have  a  general 
and  accurate  acquaintance  with  the  gospel  system, 
and  be  ready  to  defend  its  leading  doctrines,  by  a 
ready,  pertinent,  and  conclusive  reference  to  scrip- 
tural testimony,  and  thus  be  able  to  "  separate  be- 
tween the  precious  and  the  vile,"  in  theory  as  well 
as  in  practice,  is  surely  as  little  as  can  possibly  be 
demanded  of  those  who  are  placed  as  leaders  and 
guides  in  the  house  of  God. 

4.  Again;  an  Elder  ought  to  be  a  man  of  emi- 
nent prudence.  By  prudence  here  is,  of  course, 
not  meant,  that  spurious  characteristic,  which  calls 
itself  by  this  name,  but  which  ought  rather  to  be 
called  timidity,  or  a  criminal  shrinking  from  duty, 
on  the  plea  that  "  there  is  a  lion  in  the  way." 
Yet,  while  we  condemn  this  as  unworthy  of  a 
Christiai^  and  especially  unworthy  of  a  Ohrisiian 
Counsellor  and  Ruler;   there  is  a  prudence  which 


THIS   OFFICE.  255 

is  genuine,  and  g^reatly  to  be  coveted.  Tin's  is  no 
other  than  practical  Christian  wisdom,  which  not 
only  discerns  what  is  right,  but  also  adopts  the 
best  mode  of  doing  it;  which  is  not  at  all  incon- 
sistent with  firmness,  and  the  highest  moral  cou- 
rage ;  but  which  happily  regulates  and  directs  it. 
It  has  been  often  observed,  that  there  is  a  right  and 
a  wrong  way  of  doing  the  best  things.  The  thing 
done,  may  be  excellent  in  itself;  but  may  be  done 
in  a  manner,  at  a  time,  and  attended  with  circum- 
stances, which  will  be  likely  to  disgust  and  repel, 
and  thus  prevent  all  benefit.  Hence  a  man  who  is 
characteristically  eccentric,  undignified,  rash,  pre- 
cipitate, or  indiscreetly  talkative,  ought  by  no 
means  to  be  selected  as  an  ecclesiastical  ruler.  He 
will,  probably,  do  more  mischief  than  good;  will 
generally  create  more  divisions  than  he  heals;  and 
will  rather  generate  offences  than  remove  them. 
Perhaps  there  is  no  situation  in  human  society 
which  more  imperiously  calls  for  delicacy,  cau- 
tion, reserve,  and  the  most  vigilant  discretion,  than 
that  of  an  ecclesiastical  Ruler.  If  popular  rumor 
begin  to  charge  a  Church  member  with  some  de- 
linquency, either  in  faith  or  practice:  let  one  of 
the  Elders,  under  the  notion  of  beinjj  faithful,  im- 
plicitly credit  the  story,  go  about  making  inquiries 
respecting  its  truth,  winkiug  and  insinuating,  and 
thus  contributing  to  extend  its  circulation;  and 
however  pure  his  motives,  he  may,  before  he  is 
aware,  implicate  himself  in  the  charge  of  slander, 
and  become  so  situated  in  respect  to  the  supposed 
culprit,  as  to  render  it  altogether  improper  that  he 
should  sit  in  judgment  on  his  case.  'I'he  maxim 
of  the  wise  man  ;  "  be  swift  to  hear,  slow  to  speak, 
slow  to  wrath,"  applies  to  every  human  being; 
especially  to  every  professing  Christian:  but  above 


256  QUALIFICATIONS    FOR 

all  to  everyone  who  is  appointed  lo  maintain  truth, 
order,  purity,  peace,  and  love  in  the  Church  of 
God. 

It  requires  much  prudence  to  judge  when  it  is 
proper  to  commence  the  exercise  of  discipline 
against  a  supposed  offender.  Discipline  is  an 
important,  nay,  a  vital  mailer,  in  the  Christian 
Church.  But  it  may  be  commenced  indiscreetly; 
vexaliously;  when  that  which  is  alleged  cannot  be 
shown  lo  be  an  offence  against  the  divine  law;  or 
when,  though  a  really  censurable  offence,  there  is 
no  probabiliiy  that  it  can  be  proved.  To  attempt 
the  exercise  of  discipline  in  such  cases,  is  to  dis- 
grace it;  to  convert  it,  from  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant means  of  grace,  into  an  instrument  of  rash- 
ness, petulance,  and  childish  precipitancy.  Often, 
very  ofien,  lias  the  very  name  of  discipline  been 
rendered  odious,  the  peace  of  families  and  neigh- 
bourhoods grievously  disturbed,  the  influence  of 
ecclesiastical  judicatories  destroyed,  and  the  cause 
of  religion  deeply  wounded,  by  judicial  proceed- 
ings, which  ought  either  never  to  have  been  com- 
menced, or  to  which  ihe  smallest  measure  of  pru- 
dence would  have  given  a  very  different  direction. 

The  importance  of  the  subject  constrains  me  to 
add,  that  prudence — much  prudence  is  also  im- 
periously demanded,  in  the  exercise  of  a  dignified 
and  cautious  reserve  while  ecclesiastical  process  is 
pending.  One  great  reason  why  it  is  thought 
belter  by  Presbyterians,  to  exercise  discipline 
rather  by  a  bench  of  wise  and  pious  ecrclesiaslical 
Senators,  than  by  the  vole  of  the  whole  body  of 
Church  members,  is,  that  the  public  discussion  and 
decision  of  many  things  concerning  personal  cha- 
racter, which  the  exercise  of  discipline  necessarily 
discloses,  respecting  others,  as  well  as  the  culprit, 


THIS   OFFICE.  257 

is  adapted  in  many  cases,  to  do  more  harm  than 
good,  especially  before  the  process  is  closed.  To 
guard  against  this  evil,  it  is  very  important  that  the 
Elders  carefully  avoid  all  unseasonable  disclosures 
in  respect  to  the  business  which  may  be  at  any 
time  before  the  Session.  Until  they  have  done 
what  shall  be  deemed  proper,  in  a  delicate  case,  it 
is  surely  unwise,  by  thoughtless  blabbing,  to  throw 
obstacles  in  their  own  way,  and  perhaps  to  defeat 
the  whole  purpose  which  they  have  in  view.  Yet 
how  often,  by  one  imprudent  violation  of  this  plain 
rule,  has  the  discipline  of  the  Church  been  de- 
graded or  frustrated,  and  the  character  of  those  who 
administered  it  exposed  to  ridicule? 

These,  and  similar  considerations,  serve  clearly 
to  show,  that  no  degree  of  piety  can  supersede  the 
necessity  of  prudence  in  ecclesiastical  rulers;  and 
that,  of  all  characters  in  a  congregation,  an  indis- 
creet, meddling,  garrulous,  gossipping,  tattling  El- 
der, is  one  of  the  most  pestiferous. 

5.  It  is  important  that  an  Elder  be  '♦  of  good  re- 
port of  them  that  are  without^  The  circumstance 
of  his  being  chosen  to  the  office  by  the  members 
of  the  Church,  does,  indeed,  afford  strong  pre- 
sumption that  he  sustains,  among  them  an  unex- 
ceptionable character.  But  it  is  also  of  great  im- 
portance that  this  class  of  officers,  as  well  as  those 
who  "  labour  in  the  word  and  doctrine,"  should 
stand  well  with  those  who  are  without,  as  well  as 
those  who  are  within  the  pale  of  the  Christian 
community.  The  ecclesiastical  ruler  may  often  be 
called,  in  discharging  his  official  duties,  to  converse 
with  the  worldly  and  profane,  who  have  no  par- 
ticular regard  either  for  his  Master,  or  his  office. 
Nay,  he  must  be,  almost  every  day  that  he  lives, 
the  object  of  the  scrutiny  of  such  men.     In  this 


258  QUALiriCATIOlIS   FOR 

case,  it  is  peculiarly  desirable  that  his  personal 
character  be  such  as  to  command  universal  respect 
and  confidence;  ihal  it  be  not  liable  to  any  par- 
ticular suspicion  or  imputation  ;  but  that,  on  ihe 
conirary,  ii  possess  such  weight  and  res  pec  lability 
in  the  community,  as  will  render  him  an  aid  and  a 
blessing  to  liis  ecclesiastical  connexion.  To  this 
end,  his  unbending  integrity  in  all  the  walks  of 
life  ;  his  spotless  probity  and  honour  in  every  pe- 
cuniary transaction  ;  his  gravity  and  dignity  in  all 
the  intercourse  of  society  ;  his  exemplary  govern- 
ment of  his  own  family  ;  his  abstraction  from  all 
unhallowed  conformity  to  the  world  ; — ought  to 
present,  in  some  good  measure,  a  pattern  of  Chris- 
tian consistency.  It  is  saying  little  in  favour  of  a 
Church  officer,  to  allege  that  his  reputation  is  such 
that  he  does  no  harm  to  the  ecclesiastical  body  with 
which  he  is  connected.  It  is  to  be  regretted,  if  he 
do  not  promote  its  benefit  every  day  by  his  active 
services,  and  extend  its  influence  by  the  lustre  of 
his  example. 

6.  A  Ruling  Elder  ought  to  be  a  man  of  public 
spirit  and  enlarged  views.  He  who  is  c^Jled  by 
his  official  duly  to  plan  and  lal)Our  for  the  exten- 
sion of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom,  surely  ought  not, 
of  all  men,  to  have  a  narrow  and  illiberal  mind;  to 
be  sparing  of  labour,  parsimonious  in  feeling  and 
habit,  or  contented  with  small  attainments.  It  is 
eminently  desirable,  then,  that  a  Ruling  Elder  be 
a  man  of  expanded  heart  toward  other  denomina- 
tions, as  far  as  is  consistent  with  entire  fidelity  to 
scriptural  truth  and  order;  that  he  aim  high  in 
spiritual  attainment  and  progress  ;  that  he  be  wil- 
ling to  give  much,  to  labour  much,  and  to  make 
sacrifices  for  the  cause  of  Christ;  and  that  he  be 
continually  looking  and  prayiug  for  the  further  en- 


THIS  OFFICE.  259 

lar^ement  and  prosperity  of  Zion.  Such  a  man 
will  not  be  willing  to  see  the  Church  fall  asleep, 
or  stagnate.  Such  a  man's  mind  will  be  teeming 
with  desires,  plans,  and  prayers  for  the  advance- 
ment of  the  Saviour's  cau?e.  Such  a  man  will  not 
content  himself,  nor  be  satified  to  see  others  con- 
tenting themselves,  with  a  little  round  of  frigid  for- 
malities, or  with  the  interests  of  a  single  parish  : — 
but  the  aspirations  of  his  heart,  and  the  active  ef- 
forts of  his  life  will  be  directed  to  the  extension  and 
prosperity  of  the  Church  in  all  its  borders,  and  to 
the  universal  establishment  and  triumph  of  that 
gospel  which  is  "  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation 
to  every  one  that  believeth." 

The  qualification  of  which  we  speak  has  been, 
in  all  ages,  and  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  must 
ever  be,  of  inestimable  importance  in  every  Ruler 
and  Guide  of  the  Church.  But  we  may  venture 
to  pronounce  that  it  never  was  so  important  to  the 
Church  that  she  should  have  such  Rulers  as  it  is 
at  the  present  day.  Now,  that  she  is  awaking 
from  her  slumber,  and  arousing  to  a  sense  of  her 
long  forgotten  obligations:  now  that  she  is,  as  we 
hope,  arising  from  the  dust,  and  "  putting  on  her 
beautiful  garments,"  and  looking  abroad  in  the 
length  and  breadth  of  those  conquests  which  have 
been  promised  her,  by  her  Almighty  Head:  now 
that  all  her  resources,  physical  and  moral,  are 
called  for,  in  every  direction,  with  an  emphasis  and 
a  solemnity  never  before  equalled  : — is  it  not  mani- 
fest that  all  who,  in  such  a  stage  of  her  course, 
undertake  to  be  her  counsellors  and  guides,  ought 
to  be  neither  drom  s  nor  cowards  ;  neither  parsi- 
monious of  labour  and  sacrifice,  nor  disposed  to  sit 
down  contented  with  small  acquisitions'?  Ruling 
Eiders,  at  the  present  day,  have,  perhaps,  an  op- 


260  QUALIFICATIONS   FOR 

portunity  of  serving  the  Church  more  extensively 
and  effectually  than  ever  before.     How  desirable 
and  important,  then,  that  they  have  a  heart,  in 
some  measure,  commensurate  vviili  the  calls   and 
opportunities  of  the  day  in  which  their  lot  is  cast! 
How  desirable   that   they  cherish  those  enlarged 
and  liberal  views,  both  of  duty  and  of  eff'ort,  which 
become  those  who  are  called  to  act  a  conspicuous 
and  interesting  part  in  a  cause  which  is  dear  to  all 
holy  beings  !    So  important  is  this,  that  it  is  pro- 
bable we  shall  generally  find  that,  in  liberality  of 
contribution   to    the   various   objects  of  Christian 
effort,  and  in  enlargement  of  mind  to  desire  and 
seek  the  extension  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom,  the 
mass  of  the  members  of  any  Church  may  com- 
monly be  graduated  by  the  character  of  their  Elders. 
If  the  leaders  and  guided  of  the  Church  be  destitute 
of  public  spirit,  and  be  not  found  taking  the  lead 
in  large  plans,  labours,  and  sacrifices  for  extending 
the  reign  of  knowledge,  truth,  and  righteousness; 
it  will  be  strange  indeed  if  a  more  enlarged  spirit 
be  found  prevailing  among  the  generality  of  their 
fellow  members. 

7.  The  last  qualification  on  which  I  shall  dwell, 
as  important  in  the  office  before  us,  is  ardent  zeal, 
and  a  spirit  of  importunate  prayer.  Large  views, 
and  liberal  plans  and  donations,  will  not  answer 
without  this.  The  truth  is,  the  Church  of  God  has 
the  most  serious  and  unceasing  obstacles  to  en- 
counter, in  every  step  of  her  progress.  As  long  as 
she  is  faithful,  her  course  is  never  smooth  or  un- 
obstructed. In  maintaining  truth  ; — in  guarding 
the  claims  of  gospel  holiness; — and  in  sustaining 
discipline — the  enmity  of  the  human  heart  will  not 
fail  to  manifest  itself,  and  to  offer  more  or  less  re- 
sistance to  that  which  is  good.     The  worldly  and 


THIS   OFFICE.  261 

profane  will  ever  be  found  in  llie  ranks  of  cleter- 
niined  opposition.  And  alas!  that  some  who  bear 
the  name  of  Christ,  are  not  unfreqiiently  found  in 
the  same  ranks;  thus  grieving  the  hearts,  and  try- 
ing the  patience  of  those  who  are  called  to  act  as 
the  representatives  and  leaders  of  the  Church,  To 
meet  and  overcome  difficulties  of  this  kind,  requires 
all  the  fixedness  of  purpose,  and  all  the  zeal  in  the 
service  of  Christ,  which  his  most  devoted  servants 
can  bring  to  their  work. 

Besides  all  this,  there  is  much  in  the  daily  duties 
of  the  Ruling  Elder,  which  puts  to  a  very  serious 
test  all  his  devoledness  to  the  cause  of  his  Master. 
He  is  called  to  live,  like  a  minister  of  the  gospel, 
in  the  very  atmosphere  of  prayer  and  religious  con- 
versation. In  the  chamber  of  the  sick  and  dying; 
in  conversing  with  the  anxious  inquirer,  and  the 
perplexed  or  desponding  believer;  in  the  private 
circle,  and  in  the  social  meeting  for  prayer; 
abroad  and  at  home,  in  the  house  and  by  the  way 
— it  must  be  "  his  meat  and  drink"  to  be  found  mi- 
nistering to  the  best  interests  of  his  fellow  men. 
So  that  if  he  have  but  litde  zeal  ;  but  little  taste  for 
prayer;  but  little  anxiety  for  the  welfare  of  im- 
mortal souls  ;  he  will  not,  he  cannot,  enter  with 
proper  feeling  into  his  appropriate  employments. 
But  if  he  be  animated  with  a  proper  spirit,  he  will 
find  it  pleasant  to  be  thus  employed.  Instead  of 
shunning  scenes  and  opportunities  of  usefulness, 
he  will  diligently  seek  them.  And  instead  of  find- 
ing them  wearisome,  he  will  feel  no  happiness 
more  pure  and  rich  than  that  which  he  experiences 
in  such  occupations  as  these. 

It  is  evident,  then,  not  only  that  the  ecclesiasti- 
cal Ruler  ought  to  have  unfeigned  piety  ;  but  that 
his  piety  ought  to  be  of  that  decisive  character, 


2G2  QUALIFICATIONS   FOE  THIS   OFFICE. 

and  af^oompaniefJ  with  that  fervent  zeal,  which 
bears  its  possessor  forward,  without  wearinef's  in 
the  discharj^e  of  self-denying  duties.  The  higher 
the  dejrree  in  wliieh  he  possesses  this  characteris- 
tic, provided  it  he  accompanied  with  wisdonri,  pru- 
dence and  a  knowledge  of  hunnan  nature,  the  great- 
er will  prohably  be  his  usefulness  in  the  (Jhurch 
which  he  serves;  and  the  jrreater,  assuredly,  will 
be  his  own  personal  enjoyment  in  rendering  that 
service. 

It  is  more  than  possible  that  this  view  of  the 
qualifications  proper  for  the  office  which  we  are 
considering,  may  cause  some,  when  solicited  to 
undertake  it,  to  draw  back,  under  the  conHcicnlious 
impression,  that  they  have  not  the  characteristics 
which  are  essential  to  the  faithful  discharge  of  its 
duties.  And  it  would  be  wrong  to  say  that  there 
are  not  some  cases,  in  which  such  an  impression 
ought  to  be  admitted.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that 
there  are  those  who  bear  this  office,  who  ought 
never  to  have  accepted  it.  To  this  class,  unques- 
tionably, belong  all  those  who  have  no  taste  for 
the  appropriate  duties  of  the  office,  and  who  do 
not  resolve  sedulously  and  faithfully  to  perform 
them.  But  let  no  humble  devoted  follower  of 
Jesus  Christ,  who  truly  desires  to  serve  and  glorify 
him,  and  who  is  willing,  from  the  heart,  to  do  all 
that  God  shall  enable  him,  for  the  promotion  of 
the  Redeemer's  kingdom  ; — let  not  him  be  deterred, 
by  the  representation  which  has  been  given  from 
accepting  the  office,  if  called  to  it  by  his  Christian 
brethren.  The  deeper  his  sense  of  his  own  unfit- 
ness, the  more  likely  wdl  he  be  to  apply  unceas- 
ingly and  importunately  for  heavenly  aid;  and 
the  nearer  he  lives  to  the  throne  of  grace,  the  more 
largely  will  be  partake  of  that  wisdom  and  strength 


ELECTION   OF   RULING   ELDERS.  263 

which  he  needs.  There  are,  no  doubt,  some,  as 
was  said,  who  are  really  unqualified  for  ihis  office  ; 
but  in  general,  it  may  be  maintained,  that  those 
who  have  the  deepest  impression  of  the  importance 
and  arduousness  of  its  duties,  and  of  their  own 
want  of  adequate  qualifications,  are  far  better  pre- 
pared for  those  duties,  than  such  as  advance  to  the 
discharge  of  them  with  unwavering  contidence  and 
self-complacency. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

ON  THE  ELECTION  OF  RULING  ELDERS. 

Under  this  general  head,  a  variety  of  questions 
occur,  the  solution  of  which  is  important. 

I.  In  the  first  place,  who  are  the  proper  Electors 
of  Ruling  Elders?  This  question  is  not  definitely 
resolved  by  the  *'  Form  of  Government"  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States.  Its 
language  is  as  follows  :  *'  Every  congregation  shall 
elect  persons  to  the  office  of  Ruling  Elder,  and  to 
the  office  of  Deacon,  or  either  of  them,  in  the  mode 
most  approved  and  in  use  in  that  congregation. 
But  in  all  cases  the  persons  elected  must  be  male 
members  in  full  communion  in  the  Church  in 
which  they  are  to  exercise  their  office." 

When  a  new  Church  is  to  be  organized,  and 
when,  of  course,  there  are  no  Elders  alrendy  in 
office,  application  ought  to  be  made  to  the  Pres- 
bytery, stating  the  wishes  of  those  who  contem- 
plate forming  the  Church,  requesting  their  sanction, 
and  also  the  appointment  of  one  or  more  of  their 
number  to  preside  in  the  election  and  ordination 


264  ELECTION  OF 

of  the  candidates  for  the  respective  offices  of  Elders 
and  Deacons.  The  person  or  persons  thus  ap- 
pointed by  ihe  Presbytery  to  act  in  the  case,  after 
causing  due  and  reguh\r  notice  of  their  appointment 
and  its  object,  to  be  given,  ought  to  meet  wiili  the 
members  of  the  congregation  ;  to  preach  on  the 
subject  vvliich  occasions  tlie  meeting;  to  explain 
the  nature  and  importance  of  the  office  ;  and,  hav- 
ing done  this,  to  call  upon  those  who  may  be  quali- 
fied as  electors,  to  give  their  votes  for  such  of  their 
number  as  they  would  wish  to  have  as  their  spi- 
ritual rulers.  Having  done  this  openly,  in  the 
face  of  the  congregation,  the  Ordination  of  the  El- 
ders elect,  may  either  take  place  on  the  spot,  be- 
fore the  assembly  shall  separate;  or  may  be  post- 
poned to  a  future  time,  as  may  be  judged  most  ex- 
pedient. By  this  is  meant,  that  the  election  in  this 
case,  being  made  immediately  by  a  popular  vote 
of  the  members  of  the  Church,  there  is  no  need  of 
postponing  the  ordination,  for  the  purpose  of  pro- 
pounding the  names  of  the  persons  elected,  from 
the  pulpit,  as  is  necessary,  and  practised  in  other 
cases.  In  the  case  supposed,  the  full  concurrence 
of  the  persons  entitled  to  vote  in  the  choice  made, 
has  been  already  ascertained  by  their  suffrages. 

In  this  choice,  the  voles  may  be  given  either 
viva  voce,  or  by  ballot.  The  latter  method,  how- 
ever, is  by  far  the  most  common,  and,  is  evidently 
the  most  proper,  for  a  variety  of  reasons,  some  of 
which  will  readily  occur  to  every  enlightened 
and  delicate  mind. 

Concerning  the  persons  who  are  properly  entitled 
to  vote  in  such  an  election,  there  has  been  some 
diversity  of  opinion.  'J'hat  all  the  male  members 
of  the  Church,  in  what  is  called  "full  communion," 
have  this  right,  there  can  be  no  question.     In  this 


RULING   EIJ)ERS.  265 

all  are  agreed.  But  it  has  been  maintained,  not, 
indeed,  with  the  same  unanimity,  yet,  it  is  believed, 
by  a  large  majority  of  tlie  most  judicious  and  en- 
lightened judges,  and  prob,.bly  on  the  most  cor- 
rect principles,  that  all  baptized  members  of  the 
Church,  who  must  be,  of  course,  regarded  as  sub- 
ject to  the  government  and  discipline  administered 
by  these  Rulers,  are  entitled  to  a  voice  in  their 
election.  And  where  there  are  female  heads  of 
families,  who  bear  the  relation  of  membership  to 
the  Church,  in  either  of  the  senses  just  mentioned, 
and  who  are  not  represented  by  some  qualified  male 
relative,  on  the  occasion,  it  has  been  judged  pro- 
per to  allow  them  to  vote  in  the  choice  of  Ruling 
Elders,  as  is  generally  the  case  in  the  choice  of  a 
Pastor. 

There  seems,  however,  to  be  some  good  reason 
for  restricting  the  right  to  vote  for  Ruling  Elders 
within  narrower  bounds,  than  are  commonly  as- 
signed in  the  choice  of  a  Pastor.  In  that  choice, 
in  most  congregations,  all  pew-holders,  and  all 
stated  worshippers  who  are  slated  contributors  to 
the  support  of  the  Pastor,  in  their  just  proportion, 
whether  baptized  or  not,  whether  willing  to  submit 
to  the  exercise  of  discipline  or  not,  and  whether 
of  fair  moral  character  or  not,  are  considered  as 
entitled  to  a  vote.  But,  in  the  election  of  a  Pastor, 
there  is  one  security  against  an  improper  choice, 
which  does  not  exist  in  the  case  of  a  Ruling  Elder; 
namely,  that  the  call  must  be  submitted  to  the 
Presbytery,  and  receive  the  sanction  of  that  body  be- 
fore it  can  be  prosecuted.  Whereas  no  such  secu- 
rity exists  in  the  case  of  a  Ruling  Elder.  Of  course, 
if  all  pew-holders,  and  pecuniary  supporters,  with- 
out any  reference  to  membership  or  character,  were 
allowed  to  vote  in  the  election  of  the  latter  class  of 


256  ELECTION   OF 

officers,  ihey  might  choose  persons  to  the  last  de- 
gree unsuiiable  lor  the  office,  and  adapted  to  de- 
stroy rather  than  benefit  the  Church.  Besides; 
every  one,  however  heterodox  or  immoral,  may  be 
a  staled  attendant  on  public  worship: — and  every 
stated  attendant  on  the  worship  of  any  Church, 
may  be  said  to  have  an  interest  in  the  character  of 
the  Pastor,  and  a  right,  as  far  as  may  be,  to  be 
pleased  in  the  choice.  But  no  one  can  be  said  to 
have  any  part,  or  particular  interest  in  tiie  dis- 
cipline of  the  Church,  excepting  those  who  are 
subject  to  its  operation;  which  can  be  the  case 
with  none  but  those  who  are  members  of  the 
Church. 

Accordingly,  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
Church  which  met  in  1829,  in  answer  to  a  ques- 
tion solemnly  referred  to  it  by  one  of  the  Western 
Presbyteries,* — adopted,  and  sent  to  Churches  the 
following  judgment  in  relation  to  the  subject  before 
us.  '*  It  IS  the  opinion  of  this  General  Assembly, 
that  the  office  of  Riding  Elder  is  an  office  in  the 
Church  of  Christ;  that  Ruling  Elders,  as  such, 
according  to  our  Confession  of  Faith,  Book  i.,  on 
Government,  Chapter  v.,  are  the  representatives 
of  the  people,  by  whom  they  are  chosen,  for  the 
purpose  of  exercising  government  and  discipline  in 
the  kingdom  of  our  JiOrd  Jesus  Christ;  that  the 
discipline  lawfully  exercised  by  them,  is  the  disci- 
pline exercised  through  them  by  their  constituents, 
in  whose  name,  and  by  whose  authority  they  act 
in  all  that  they  do.t  To  suppose,  therefore,  that  an 

*  The  question  submitted  was  in  these  words — "  Ought 
an  unbaptized  person,  who  yet  pays  his  proportion  for  the 
support  of  a  congregation,  to  be  permitted  to  vote  for 
Ruling  Elders?" 

t  It  is  well  known  that  the  Generai  Assembly,  in  this 


RULING   ELDERS.  267 

unbaptized  person,  not  belonging  to  the  visible 
kingdom  of  the  Redeemer,  might  vote  at  the  elec- 
tion of  Ruling  Elders,  would  be  to  establish  the 
principle,  that  the  children  of  this  world  might, 
through  their  representatives,  exercise  discipline  in 
the  Church  of  God  ;  which  is  manifestly  unscrip- 
tural,  and  contrary  to  the  standards  of  our  Church. 
Resolved,  therefore,  that  the  question  in  the  said 
overture  be  answered  in  the  negative." 

Where  there  is  already  an  existing  Church  Ses- 
sion, and  the  object  is  to  add  to  the  number  of  its 
members,  in  this  case  the  election  of  the  new  El- 
ders may  be  made  in  any  one  of  several  methods  : — 
either  by  the  vote  of  the  members  of  the  Church  at 
large,  as  already  staled;  or  by  a  nomination  on  the 
part  of  the  existing  Elders,  proposed  to  the  Church, 
and  considered  as  their  choice,  if  not  objected  to; 
or  by  the  nomination  of  double  the  number  pro- 
posed to  be  chosen,  by  the  Session,  and  a  choice 
by  the  members  of  the  Church  out  of  the  list  so 
nonunated. 

In  the  Church  of  Scotland  "new  Elders  are 
chosen  by  the  voice  of  the  Session.*     After  their 

clause  of  their  judgment,  did  not  mean  to  deny  that  Ruling 
Elders,  in  the  rightful  discharge  of  tiieir  duties,  act  in  the 
name  and  by  the  authority  of  Christ.  This  great  truth  is 
plainly  recognised  in  a  preceding  clause.  But  merely  to 
say,  that  they  act  as  the  representatives,  and  on  the  behalf 
of  the  ineiiibers  of  the  Church  at  large;  so  tiiat  when  a 
complaint  is  brought  to  the  Eldership,  it  is,  strictly  speak- 
ing, according  to  ancient  language,  "  telling  it  to  the 
Church," 

*  In  the  infancy  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  Scotland, 
the  ri  ode  of  electing  Ruling  Elders  was  by  no  means 
uniform.  In  some  Churches,  the  existing  Sess  on  made 
a  nomination  to  the  Church  members,  out  of  which  a 
choice  was  made  by  the  latter.     In  other  Churches,  the 


268  ELECTION   OF 

election  has  been  agreed  upon,  their  names  are 
read  from  llie  pulpit,  in  a  paper  called  an  Edict, 
appointing  a  day,  at  the  distance  of  not  less  than 
ten  days,  for  tiieir  ordination.  If  no  member  of 
the  congregation  offer  any  objection  upon  tiiat  day  ; 
or  if  the  Session  find  tiie  objections  that  are  offered 
frivolous,  or  unsupported  by  evidence,  the  miiister 
proceeds  in  the  face  of  the  congregation,  to  ordain 
the  new  Elders.* 

The  same  method  of  adding  new  Elders  to  ex- 
isting Church  Sessions,  is  adopted,  in  substance, 
by  many  Presbyterian  Churches  in  the  United 
States.  The  Church  Sessions,  in  these  congre- 
gations, judge  when  it  is  proper  to  make  an  addi- 
tion to  the  number  of  Elders;!  deliberate  on  the 
proper  candidates;  ascertain  privately  whether 
they  will  serve  if  appointed  ;  and  after  completing, 
with  due  consideration  and  care,  their  lists,  cause 
them  to  be  announced  by  their  moderator,  from  the 
pulpit,  on  several  successive  Sabbaths  ;  after  which, 
at  the  proper  time,  their  ordination  takes  place. 
This  plan  of  choosing  has  some  real  advantages. 
When  wisely  executed,  it  may  be  supposed  likely 

choice  was  made  immediately  by  the  communicants  at 
large.  In  some  Churches,  the  Session  appointed  electors; 
and  in  others  they  acted  as  electors  themselves.  It  was 
a  number  of  years  before  the  practice  stated  above  as  the 
preva'ent  one,  become  general.  M'Crie's  Life  of  iMelville, 
ii.  477,  478. 

*  Hi'l's  Institutes.     Part  ii.  Section  4th,  212,  3U. 

t  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say,  that  when  the  Church 
Session,  in  any  such  congregration  shall  be  considered  as 
unduly  delaying  to  make  a  suitable  addition  of  new  Elders 
to  their  number,  it  is  the  privilege  of  the  members  of  the 
Church,  after  due  application  and  remonstrance  to  the 
Session,  without  effect,  to  apply  to  the  Presbytery  for  the 
redress  of  their  alleged  grievance. 


RULING    ELDERS.  269 

lo  lead  to  a  more  calm,  judicious,  and  happy- 
choice,  than  would  probably  result  from  a  popular 
vote,  especially  where  no  consultation  and  under- 
standing had  taken  place  among  the  more  grave, 
pious,  and  prudent  of  the  Church  members.  And, 
therefore,  where  this  plan  has  been  long  in  use, 
and  unanimously  acquiesced  in,  it  had,  perhaps, 
better  not  be  changed.  Yet  it  seems  to  be  more 
in  harmony  with  the  general  spirit  of  Presbyterian 
Church  government,  and  certainly  with  the  pre- 
vailing character  of  our  institutions,  to  refer  the 
choice,  where  it  can  conveniently  be  done,  after 
due  consultation  and  care,  to  the  suffrages  of  the 
members  of  the  Church. 

Accordingly,  the  General  Assembly  of  our 
Church,  which  convened  in  1827,  in  reply  to  a 
complaint  made  respecting  the  mode  of  electing 
Elders  adopted  in  one  of  the  Churches  under  the 
care  of  the  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia,  pronounced 
the  following  judgment. 

"  While  the  Assembly  would  recognise  the  un- 
doubted right  of  each  congregation  to  elect  their 
Elders  in  the  mode  most  approved  and  in  use 
among  them,  they  would  recommend  that,  in  all 
cases  where  any  dissatisfaction  appears  lo  exist, 
the  congregation  be  promptly  convened,  to  decide 
on  tiieir  future  mode  of  election.  And  tliey  are 
inclined  to  believe  that  the  spirit  of  our  constitution 
would  be  most  fully  sustained  by  having,  in  all 
cases,  a  direct  vole  of  the  congregation  in  the  ap- 
pointment of  their  Elders." 

In  the  Church  of  Holland,  the  following  is  the 
general  rule  in  regard  to  the  election  of  this  class 
of  officers:  *' The  Elders  shall  be  chosen  by  the 
suffrages  of  the  Consistory,  and  of  the  Deacons. 
In  making  this  choice,  it  shall  be  lawful,  as  shall 
23 


270  ELECTION  OP 

best  suit  the  situation  of  each  Church,  either  to 
nominate  as  many  Elders  as  shall  be  judged  ne- 
cessary for  the  approbation  of  the  members  in  full 
communion,  and  upon  their  being  approved,  and 
found  acceptable,  to  confirm  them  with  public 
prayers  and  engagements  ;  or,  to  propose  a  double 
number,  that  the  one  half  of  those  nominated  may 
be  chosen  by  the  members,  and  in  the  same  manner 
confirmed  in  their  office."  Accordingly,  in  that 
country,  although  an  election  by  the  members  of 
the  Church  sometimes  takes  place;  yet  the  com- 
mon method,  it  is  believed,  is  for  the  Consistory, 
or  Eldership  of  the  Church,  together  with  the 
Deacons,  to  make  choice  of  new  Elders  and  Dea- 
cons, in  other  words,  to  form  a  list  of  proper  can- 
didates for  the  office,  to  nominate  them,  agreeably 
to  a  certain  rule,  to  the  Church,  and  if  no  objection 
be  made,  to  consider  the  person  so  nominated  as 
the  choice  of  the  Church. 

In  the  "  Explanatory  Articles"  of  government 
adopted  by  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  in  the 
United  States,  the  following  article  explains  the 
practice  of  that  Church  in  this  country.  "The 
manner  of  choosing  Elders  and  Deacons  is  not 
rigidly  defined.  A  double  number  may  be  nomi- 
nated by  the  Consistory,  out  of  which  the  mem- 
bers of  the  (/hurch  may  choose  those  who  shall 
serve.  Or,  all  the  members  of  the  Church  may 
unite  in  nominating  and  choosing  the  whole  num- 
ber, without  the  in»ierference  of  the  Consistory. 
Or,  the  Consistory,  for  the  time  being,  as  repre- 
senting all  the  members,  may  choose  the  whole, 
and  refer  the  persons  thus  chosen,  by  publishing 
them  in  the  Church,  for  the  approbation  of  the  peo- 
ple. The  last  method  has  been  found  most  conve- 
nient, especially  in  large  Churches,  and  has  long 


RULING  ELDERS.  271 

been  generally  adopted.  But  where  that,  or  either 
of  the  other  modes,  has  for  many  years  been  fol- 
lowed in  any  Church,  there  shall  be  no  variation 
or  chanj^e,  but  by  previous  application  to  the 
Classis,  and  express  leave  first  obtained  for  alter- 
ing such  custom."* 

In  the  Church  of  Geneva,  the  choice  of  Elders 
and  Deacons  is  made  in  the  manner  which  the 
foregoinjr  article  declares  to  be  most  common  in 
the  Dutch  Church  in  the  United  Stales,  namely, 
by  a  selection  and  nomination  by  the  consistorial 
assembly,  which,  if  not  opposed,  is  final,  and  fol- 
lowed by  the  usual  ordination,  without  the  "laying 
on  of  hands."! 

The  same  method,  also,  of  electing  Elders  and 
Deacons  was  early  established  in  the  Protestant 
Churches  of  France.  The  Consistory  nominated, 
and  the  nomination  was  announced  from  the  pulpit, 
for  the  approbation  of  the  people.! 

II.  The  next  question  which  arises,  is  how  often 
ought  this  election  to  be  made?  Is  it  for  life,  or  for 
a  limited  time? 

According  to  the  original  constitution  of  the  Re- 
formed Church  of  Scotland,  the  Elders  and  Dea- 
cons were  chosen  but  for  one  year.  This  was  the 
arrangement  adopted  in  the  "  First  Book  of  Dis- 
cipline," formed  in  1560,  and  also  in  the  "Second 
Book  of  Discipline,"  drawn  up  in  1578,  and  which 
continued  for  a  number  of  years  in  the  Scottish 
Church.  This  plan  seems  to  have  been  suggested 
by  the  earnest  wish  of  the  first  elders  themselves, 
who,  finding  the  office  burdensome,  as  it  then  in- 

*  See  the  Constitution  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church 
in  the  United  States. 

t  ^ee  Mercier's  Church  History  of  Geneva,  p.  209. 
I  Quick's  Synodicon,  i.  27. 


272  ELECTION   OP 

volved  mucli  care  and  labour,  bpgged  permission 
to  resign  it  to  others  after  a  single  year.  But  al- 
though the  election,  at  that  lime,  was  male  annu- 
ally, and  a  large  portion  of  the  incumbents  of  the 
office  were  actually  changed  every  year;  yet  the 
same  men  might  be  elected  from  year  to  year,  if 
they  were  willing  to  serve,  and  it  sometimes  hap- 
pened in  fact,  that  a  few,  whose  piety,  and  leisure 
rendered  due  attention  to  the  duties  of  the  office 
easy  and  pleasant,  were  re-elected  for  many  suc- 
cessive years.  The  same  form  of  ordination 
seems  to  have  been  repealed  afier  every  annual 
eleciion,  as  well  with  respect  to  those  who  had 
ofien  been  ordained  before,  as  to  those  who  had 
never  subrnilled  lo  this  solemnity. 

This  practice,  however,  has  been  long  since  laid 
aside  in  the  Church  of  Scotland;  and  the  office  of 
the  Ruling  Elder  been,  for  many  years,  regarded 
as  an  office  for  life,  as  much  as  that  of  the  ministry 
of  the  Gospel. 

In  the  Protestant  Churches  of  France  also,  the 
office  in  question  was,  from  the  beginning,  and  it 
is  believed  still  is,  temporary.  The  rule  on  this 
subject,  found  in  the  Book  of  "Discipline  of  the 
Reformed  Churches  of  France,"  as  drawn  up  by 
the  first  National  Synod,  in  1539,  is  in  these  re- 
markable words:  "The  office  of  Elders  and  Dea- 
cons, as  it  is  now  in  use  among  us,  is  not  perpe- 
tual; yet  because  chaiiges  are  not  commodious, 
they  shall  be  exhorted  to  continue  in  their  offices 
as  long  as  they  can ;  and  they  shall  not  lay  them 
down  without  having  first  obtained  leave  from  their 
Churches."* 

The   Reformed  Dutch  Church  in  the  United 

*  Quick's  Synodicon,  p.  28. 


RULINQ   ELDERS.  273 

States,  after  the  example  of  her  parent  Church  in 
Europe,  adopts  the  following  plan  for  the  election 
of  Elders  and  Deacons:  "In  order  to  lessen  the 
burden  of  a  perpetual  attendance  upon  ecclesiasti- 
cal duties,  and  by  a  rotation  in  office  to  bring  for- 
ward deserving  members,  it  is  the  established  cus- 
tom in  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church,  that  Elders 
and  Deacons  remain  only  two  years  in  service,  af- 
ter which  they  retire  from  their  respective  offices, 
and  others  are  chosen  in  their  places ;  the  rotation 
being  always  conducted  in  such  a  manner,  that 
only  one  half  of  the  whole  number  retire  each  year. 
(See  Syn.  Dord.  Art.  27.)  But  this  does  not  for- 
bid the  liberty  of  immediately  choosing  the  same 
persons  again,  if  from  any  circumstances  it  may  be 
judged  expedient  to  continue  them  in  office  by  a 
re-election."* 

Yet,  notwithstanding  this  annual  election,  those 
who  have  ever  borne  the  office  of  Elder  or  Deacon 
in  the  Dutch  Church,  are  still  considered,  though 
never  re-elected,  as  hearing,  while  they  live,  a  cer- 
tain relation  to  the  offices  which  they  have  sustain- 
ed respectively.  This  appears  from  the  following 
additional  article,  found  in  the  same  code.  "  When 
matters  of  peculiar  importance  occur,  particularly 
in  calling  a  Minister,  building  of  Churches,  or 
whatever  relates  immediately  to  the  peace  and  wel- 
fare of  the  whole  congregation,  it  is  usual  (and  it 
is  strongly  recommended,  upon  such  occasions, 
always)  for  the  Consistory  to  call  together  all  those 
who  have  ever  served  as  Elders  or  Deacons,  that 
by  their  advice  and  counsel  they  may  assist  the 
members   of  the   Consistory.     These,  when  as- 

*  Constitution  of  the  Reformed  Dutch  Church  in  the 
U.  States. 


2^4  ELECTION  OF 

sembled,  conslitnle  what  is  called  the  *'  Great 
Consistory."  From  the  object  or  design  of  their 
assembling,  the  respective  powers  of  each  are  easily 
ascertained.  Those  who  are  out  of  office,  have 
only  an  advisory  or  counselling  voice;  and,  as  they 
are  not  actual  members  of  the  board  or  corporation, 
cannot  iiave  a  decisive  vote.  After  obtaining  their 
advice,  it  rests  with  the  members  of  the  Consistory 
to  follow  the  counsel  given  them,  or  not,  as  they 
shall  judge  proper." 

But  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United 
States,  the  office  of  Ruling  Elder  is  now,  and  has 
been  from  the  beginning,  perpetual.  The  election 
to  it,  is  once  for  all.  It,  of  course,  continues  through 
life,  utiless  the  individual  be  deposed  from  office. 
Like  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  he  cannot  lay  aside 
his  office  at  pleasure.*  He  may,  indeed,  from  ill 
health,  or  for  other  reasons,  cease,  if  he  think  pro- 
per, to  f)erform  the  active  duties  of  the  office.  But 
he  is  still  an  Elder;  and  if  he  recover  his  health, 
or  the  reason  which  induced  him  to  withdraw,  be 

*  The  writer  is  here  stating  what  is  the  actual  consti- 
tution of  the  Presbyterian  Church  as  to  this  point.  He 
does  not  suppose,  however,  that  there  is  any  infringement 
of  Presbv  terian  principle  in  the  annual  elections  of  Ruling 
Elders,  formerly  practised  in  the  Church  of  Scotland,  and 
still  practised  in  the  Dutch  and  Frei  ch  Churches.  Where 
a  Church  is  large,  containing  a  sufficient  number  of  grave, 
pious  and  prudent  members,  to  furnish  an  advantageous 
rotation,  and  where  the  duties  of  the  office  are  many  and 
arduous,  it  may  not  be  without  its  advantages  to  keep  up 
some  change  of  incumbency  in  this  office.  But,  in  general, 
it  seems  manifest,  that  the  spiritual  interests  of  a  congre- 
gation will  be  likely  to  be  managed  most  steadily  and  to 
edification  by  permanent  officers,  who  are  never  even 
temporarily  withdrawn  from  the  sphere  of  duty  in  which 
they  move,  and  who  are  daily  gaining  more  knowledge  of 
the  Church,  and  more  experience. 


RUUNO   ELDERS.  275 

removed,  he  may  resume  the  rliilies  of  the  office 
without  a  new  ordination.— Of  tliis,  however,  more 
in  a  subsequent  chapter. 

III.  A  third  question  which  arises  under  this 
head,  is — How  many  Eiders  ought  to  be  elected 
in  each  Church?  In  answer  to  this  question  little 
more  than  considerations  of  expediency  can  be  sug- 
gested.    No  absolute  rule  can  be  laid  down. 

In  the  Jewish  Synagogue,  we  are  told,  there 
w^ere  commonly  at  least  three  Ruli  g  Elders  found 
in  each  ecclesiastical  Senate.  In  the  lime  of  Cy- 
prian, in  the  third  century,  there  were,  in  the  single 
Church  of  Carthage,  of  which  he  was  Bishop,  or 
Pastor,  eight  Elders,  of  whom  five  were  opposed 
to  his  being  received  as  their  Pastor.  Soon  after 
the  openiiig  of  the  Reformation  in  Scotland,  and 
while  there  was  only  a  single  Protestant  congrega- 
tion in  the  city  of  Edinburgh,  there  were  twelve 
Elders,  and  sixteen  Deacons,  belonging  to  that 
Church.  Dunlop,  ii.,  638.  In  the  year  1560, 
four  years  before  the  decease  of  Calvin,  there  were 
twelve  Ruling  Elders  in  the  Church  of  Geneva. 
Calv.  Epist.  Gaspari  Oleviano. 

The  Form  of  Government  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  United  Slates,  does  not  define  the 
proper  number  of  Elders  in  each  Church.  Speak- 
ing of  the  Church  Session,  it  declares  (Chapter  9, 
Sect.  2,)  that  of  this  Judicatory,  "  two  Elders,  if 
there  be  as  many  in  the  congregation,  with  the 
Pastor,  shall  be  necessary  to  constitute  a  quorum." 
From  this  rule,  it  seems  to  be  a  legitimate  inference, 
that  if  there  be  only  one  Elder  in  the  congregation, 
he  with  the  Pastor,  may  constitute  a  regular  Ses- 
sion, for  the  transaction  of  business.  The  existence 
of  so  small  a  number  as  even  two,  however,  is 
greatly  to  be  regretted,  and  ought  by  no  means  to 


276  ELECTION  OF 

be  submitted  to,  if  proper  candidates  for  the  office 
can  be  found.  In  the  smallest  Church  it  is  de- 
sirable that  there  should  be  at  least  from  five  to  se- 
ven Elders.  Without  some  such  number,  there 
cannot  be  that  weight  in  their  judicial  counsels,  and 
that  influence  drawn  from  every  part  of  the  congre- 
gation in  aid  of  the  Pastor,  and  the  best  interests 
of  the  whole  body,  which  a  well  selected  bench  of 
officers  of  that  number,  would  be  likely  to  impart. 
In  large  Churches,  there  ought  to  be  at  least  ten  or 
twelve:  and  in  Churches  much  beyond  the  usual 
size,  fourteen  or  fifteen  would  not  be  more  than 
enough  to  gain  all  tlie  advantages  which  the  best 
arrangement  with  regard  to  this  office  might  be  ex- 
pected to  secure. 

It  ought  to  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  there 
is  no  advantage  whatever  to  be  gained  by  electing 
unsuitable  men  to  this  office,  for  the  sake  of  adding 
mere  numbers  to  the  Church  Session.  It  is  much 
better  to  get  along  with  three  or  four  pious,  wise 
and  prudent  Elders,  then  to  add  two  or  three  dozens 
to  their  ranks  of  men  of  an  opposite  stamp,  who, 
by  their  want  of  piety  and  wisdom,  might  be  a 
nuisance  instead  of  a  comfort:  a  curse  instead  of  a 
blessing.  Pastors,  then,  and  their  Churches,  in- 
stead of  making  haste  to  fill  up  the  ranks  of  their 
congregational  Senators  with  unsuitable  members, 
had  better  wait  patiently  until  the  Head  of  the 
Church  shall  provide  for  them  candidates  in  some 
measure  *' after  his  own  heart." 

IV.  The  last  question  which  will  be  proposed 
for  solution  is,  who  may  be  considered  as  eligible 
to  this  ojice  ? 

The  proper  personal  qualifications  for  this  office 
have  been  considered  in  a  preceding  chapter. 
These  are  not  intended  to  be  brought  into  view 


RULING  ELDERS.  277 

here.  All  that  is  designed  is,  a  reference  to  two 
or  three  points  of  legal  qualification,  which  are 
necessary  to  render  a  candidate  eligible  in  the  view 
of  the  ecclesiastical  casuist. 

And  first,  no  one  can  be  elected  an  Elder  in 
any  Church,  who  is  not  a  member  in  full  com- 
munion in  the  Church  of  which  he  is  to  be  chosen 
an  officer.  The  extreme  impropriety  of  choosing 
men  to  represent  the  members  of  the  Church,  and 
to  sit  in  judgment  on  the  standing,  deportment, 
and  Church  membership  of  others  who  were  not 
themselves  in  full  communion  with  the  body  of 
Christ,  is  so  glaring  as  to  need  no  comment. 

But  the  eligible  candidate  for  this  choice  must 
be  a  male  member.  Some,  indeed,  have  seriously 
doubled  whether  there  were  not  in  the  apostolic 
Church,  female  Elders,  or  Elderesses  ;  and  also 
whether  there  ought  not  to  be  a  similar  class  of 
Eiders  in  every  Church  at  the  present  day.  A 
great  majority,  however,  who  have  treated  of  this 
subject,  believe,  that  the  female  officers  apparently 
referred  to  in  Titus  ii.  3,  and  a  few  other  passages 
in  the  New  Testament,  were  intended  to  be  merely 
a  temporary  appointment,  arising  out  of  that  state 
of  seclusion  in  which  females  lived,  and  do  still 
live,  in  the  Eastern  world,  and  not  at  all  necessary 
in  those  countries  where  females  maybe  approach- 
ed and  instructed  without  the  intervention  of  in- 
dividuals of  the  other  sex.  The  Presbyterian 
Church  has  judged  and  acted  in  conformity  with 
this  view  of  the  subject.* 

*  The  Moravians,  or  United  Brethren,  and  the  society 
of  Friends,  or  Quakers,  are  the  only  ecclesiastical  bodies 
in  Protestant  Christendom,  so  far  as  is  now  recollected,  in 
whose  system  of  Church  order  Female  Elders  actually 
have  a  place. 

24 


278  ORDINATION   OF 

It  has  been  queried,  whether  a  person  who  is 
an  acting  Ruling  Elder  in  one  Church,  may  be 
chosen  to  the  same  office  in  another,  and  thus  be 
an  acting  member  of  two  Church  Sessions  at  the 
same  time  1  This  question  ought,  undoubtedly,  to 
be  answered  in  the  negative.  An  Elder  can  no 
more  be  a  member  of  two  diflferent  Sessions,  and 
responsible,  of  course,  to  both,  at  the  same  time, 
than  a  private  Christian  can  be  enrolled  as  a  mem- 
ber of  two  different  Churches  at  the  same  time, 
and  equally  amenable  to  both  ;  or  than  a  minister 
of  the  Gospel  can  be  a  member  of  two  J*resby- 
teries,  at  the  same  time,  and  liable  to  be  called  to 
an  account  by  both,  simultaneously,  and  to  have 
entirely  inconsistent  requisitions  made  by  each. 
An  Eliierin  one  Church,  then,  is  not  eligible  to  the 
Eldership  in  another,  unless  on  the  principle  of  his 
taking  a  dismission  from  the  former,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  forming  a  regular  and  official  relation  to  the 
latter. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

OF   THE   ORDINATION   OF   RULING   ELDERS. 

By  Ordination  is  meant  that  solemn  rite,  or  act, 
by  which  a  candidate  for  any  office  in  the  Cliurch 
of  Christ,  is  authoritatively  designated  to  that 
office,  by  those  who  are  clothed  with  power  for 
the  purpose. 

It  cannot  require  formal  argument  to  prove,  that 
this  rite,  or  sometl)ing  analogous  and  equivalent  to 
it,  is  indispensable  in  conducting  all  regular  eccle- 
siastical government.  If  certain  officers  have  been 
appointed  in  the  Church  by  Jesus  Christ,  her  King 


RULING    ELDERS.  279 

and  Head; — if  certain  qualifications  have  been  de- 
clared by  Him  indispensable  to  fit  men  for  serv- 
ing the  Church  in  these  offices,  without  which 
they  ought  not  to  be  permitted  to  occupy  them  ; — 
and  if  an  extraordinary  and  immediate  designation 
to  office  by  Jesus  Christ  himself,  be  not  now  to  be 
expected  in  any  case; — if  these  things  be  so,  it  in- 
evitably follows,  that  some  person  or  persons  must 
have  power  committed  to  them  by  the  Head  of  the 
Church,  to  examine  or  try  candidates  for  tliese 
offices  ;  to  judge  of  their  qualifications  ;  and,  if  ap- 
proved, to  invest  them  with  office.  The  idea  that, 
with  such  directions  as  the  New  Testament  con- 
tains on  this  subject,  men  should  be  left  at  liberty 
to  take  these  offices  upon  themselves,  by  their  own 
act,  and  at  their  own  pleasure — is  full  of  absurdity  ; 
and,  if  realized,  would  undoubtedly  lead  to  end- 
less disorder  and  mischief.  Only  suppose  the 
secular  offices  of  a  nation  to  be  thus  assumed  by 
men  at  will;  and  by  none  more  readily  than  the 
vain,  the  ignorant,  the  self  sufficient,  and  the  ambi- 
tious ; — as  would  inevitably  be  the  case,  if  such 
were  the  path  of  access  to  office  ; — and  there  would 
be  an  end  of  all  order.  But  if  it  be  neither  safe 
nor  permitted  for  men  to  intrude  into  official  sta- 
tions uncalled;  and  if  an  immediate  investiture  by 
the  Master  himself  be  out  of  the  question  ;  we  are 
driven  to  the  conclusion,  that  all  regular  and  lawful 
introduction  to  office,  must  be  through  the  medium 
of  human  ordainers,  acting  in  the  name  of  Christ, 
and  governing  themselves  by  his  declared  will. 

Accordingly,  while  the  Saviour  himself,  in  the 
days  of  his  flesh,  immediately  invested  with  office 
the  twelve  Apostles,  and  all  others  whom  he  per- 
sonally called  and  sent  forth;  no  sooner  had  He 
ascended  to  heaven,  than  the  practice  of  introducing 
to  office  by  the  instrumentality  of  men,  began,  and, 


280  ORDINATION    OF 

SO  far  af?  we  are  informed,  was  uniformly  continued. 
Tlien  ihe  ministers  of  Christ  began  to  act  upon  the 
principle  afterwards  so  explicitly  communicated  to 
Timothy,  and  enjoined  upon  him  : — "That  which 
thou  hast  heard  of  me,  among  many  witnesses,  the 
same  commit  thou  to  faithful  men,  who  shall  be 
able  to  teach  others  also."  Here  we  are  plainly 
taught  that  men  are  not  to  seize  upon  the  sacred 
office  themselves.  It  is  to  be  "committed  to 
them  ;"  and  that  not  by  every  one  ;  but  by  those 
only  who  have  regularly  "  received"  it  themselves. 
We  find,  too,  that  the  metliod  of  ordination  which 
had  been  in  use  in  the  Jewish  Synagogue,  and  to 
which  all  the  first  Christians  had  been  accustomed, 
was  transferred  to  the  Church,  and  became  a  stated 
part  of  ecclesiastical  order.  Paul  and  Barnabas 
were  set  apart  to  a  particular  service,  by  a  plurality 
of  ecclesiastical  men,  with  prayer,  imposition  of 
hands,  and  fasting.  When  they,  in  their  turn, 
went  forth  to  execute  tlie  work  to  which  they  had 
been  called,  we  find  them,  wherever  they  went, 
"ordaining  Elders,"  and  committing  to  them  the 
care  of  the  Church.  'I'imothy  was  invested  with 
office  "  by  the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the  Pres- 
bytery:" and  even  the  Deacons,  were  called  to 
their  office  in  the  same  manner.  It  was  referred 
to  the  people  to  *'  look  out"  and  elect  the  candi- 
dates ;  but  having  done  so,  they  brought  them  to 
the  Apostles,  who  "laid  their  hands  upon  them," 
and  conferred  on  them  the  important  office  to  which 
they  were  appointed. 

It  is  no  part  of  the  belief  of  Presbyterians,  that 
Ordination  imparts  any  direct  influence,  either 
physical  or  moral,  to  him  who  receives  it.  They 
have  no  idea  that,  in  this  act,  by  a  kind  of  opus 
operatwn,  according  to  the  Romanists,  an  "  inde- 
lible character"  is  communicated.     They  do  not 


RULING   ELDERS.  281 

suppose  that  any  hallowed  energy  proceeds  from 
the  hands  of  the  ordainers  to  him  on  whose  head 
they  lay  them,  in  the  act  of  imposition.  But  they 
regard  it  simply  as  that  official  act,  by  which  a 
man  is  pronounced,  declared,  and  manifested,  to 
be  actually  put  in  possession  of  the  office  to  which 
he  has  been  chosen.  It  is,  in  one  word,  the  actual 
induction  into  office  of  one  elected  to  fill  it.  The 
case  is  precisely  analogous  to  that  of  civil  rulers. 
The  man  who  is  appointed  to  the  office  of  Judge 
on  a  secular  bench,  has  no  real  addition  made, 
either  to  his  intellect,  his  learning,  or  his  moral 
excellence,  by  taking  the  oath  of  office,  and  com- 
plying with  those  formalities  which  actually  intro- 
duce him  to  his  official  station;  and  yet,  so  im- 
portant are  these  formalities,  that  his  power  law- 
fully to  act  as  Judge  absolutely  depends  upon  them. 
Before  they  take  place,  he  is  not  really  in  office; 
and  after  they  take  place,  he  is  clothed  with  that 
plenary  power,  which  qualifies  him  for  the  regular 
discharge  of  every  official  duty.  And  so  of  every 
other  civil  officer  in  the  land.  Thus  it  is  in  the 
Church.  Ordination  is  the  essence  of  a  lawful 
external  call  to  ecclesiastical  office.  It  is  that  act, 
before  which,  the  ecclesiastical  officer  is  not  pre- 
pared, regularly,  to  discharge  a  single  function 
appropriated  to  the  station  to  which  he  is  elected; 
but  after  which,  he  is  prepared  for  their  regular 
and  valid  performance. 

That  Ruling  Elders,  besides  being  regularly 
chosen  to  office,  should  be  ordained;  that  is,  pub- 
licly and  solemnly  designated  and  introduced  to 
office  by  appropriate  formalities  ;  our  ecclesiastical 
Constitution  requires,  and  prescribes  a  Form  for 
the  purpose,  concerning  which  1  shall  only  say, 
that,  as  far  as  it  goes,  it  is  well  devised,  impres- 
sive, and  excellent.     I  say,  as  far  as  it  goes ;  for 


282  ORDINATION  OF 

it  lias  been,  for  many  years,  my  settled  conviction, 
that  ihe  Ordirialion  Service  in  question,  in  not 
inakii)<r  tiie  imposition  of  hands  a  slated  consti- 
tuent part  of  it,  is  chargeable  with  an  omission, 
which,  thoiif^h  not  essential,  and,  therefore,  not  a 
mailer  for  which  it  is  proper  to  interrupt  the  peace 
of  the  Churcli;  yet  ajjpears  to  me  incapable  of  a 
satisfactory  defence  ;  and  which  it  is  my  earnest 
hope  may  not  much  longer  continue  to  be,  as  I 
know  it  is  with  many,  matter  of  serious  lamenta- 
tion. 

The  "  imposition  of  hands,"  as  a  constituent 
part  of  Ordination,  is  an  old  and  impressive  rite. 
It  was,  notoriously,  a  familiar  mode  of  designation 
to  onTic-e,  through  the  whole  of  the  Old  Testament 
economy.  It  is,  if  I  mistake  not,  universally  ac- 
knowledged to  have  been  employed  in  ordaining 
all  the  Elders  of  the  Jewish  Synagogue.  We  find 
it  is  used  in  every  Ordination,  without  exception, 
the  particulars  of  which  are  detailed  in  the  New 
Testament  history.  And  even  in  setting  apart  the 
Deacons,  nothing  can  be  more  explicit  than  the 
statement,  that  it  was  done  with  the  "  imposition 
of  hands."  So  far,  then,  as  we  are  bound  to  reve- 
rence and  follow  ancient,  primitive,  and  uniform 
usage,  I  know  of  no  solid  reason  why  it  should  be 
omitted  in  any  case. 

Some,  indeed,  have  attempted  to  defend  the 
omission  of  this  rite  by  alleging,  thai  the  imposi- 
tion of  hands,  in  the  days  of  the  Apostles,  was 
connected  wilh  the  supernatural  gifts  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  which  were  then  common  ;  and  that  with 
those  special  gifts,  it  ought  to  have  ceased.  In 
support  of  this  allegation,  they  commoidy  adduced 
such  passages  as  those  recorded  in  Acts  viii.  17, 
18;  xix.  6;  Heb.  vi.  2,  tS«^c.  This  argument  how- 
ever, if  it  have  any  force,  ought  to  banish  the  im- 


RULING   ELDERS,  283 

position  of  hands  from  all  ordinations ;  but  can 
never  justify  the  omission  of  it  in  ordaining  Ruling 
Eiders  and  Deacons,  while  it  is  retained  in  the 
ordination  of  those  who  *'  labour  in  the  word  and 
doctrine."  But  the  validity  of  the  whole  argu- 
ment, it  is  believed,  may  be  set  aside  without  dif- 
ficulty. 

We  read  in  the  New  Testament,  of  four  cases, 
or  kinds  of  "  laying  on  of  hands."  The  first,  by 
Christ  himself,  to  express  an  authoritative  bene- 
diction; (Matt.  xix.  15;  Mark  x.  16;)  the  second, 
in  the  healing  of  diseases;  (Mark  xvi.  18;  Acts 
xxviii.  8;)  the  third,  in  conferring  extraordinary 
gifts  of  the  Spirit;  (Acts  viii.  17;  xix.  6;)  and 
the  fourth,  in  setting  apart  persons  to  sacred  office ; 
(Acts  vi.  6;  xiii.  3;  1  Tim.  iv.  14.)  The  vene- 
rable Dr.  Owen,  in  his  commentary  on  Heb.  vi.  2, 
expresses  the  opinion,  that  the  "laying  on  of 
hands,"  mentioned  in  that  passage,  is  to  be  con- 
sidered as  belonging  to  the  tiiird  kind  or  class  of 
cases,  and,  of  course,  as  referring  to  the  extraor- 
dinary gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Others  have  sup- 
posed, that  it  rather  belongs  to  the  fourth  example 
here  enumerated,  and,  therefore  applies  to  the  or- 
dination of  ministers.  On  this  point  I  decide 
nothing.  But  my  reasons  for  supposing  that  the 
imposition  of  hands  in  the  ordination  of  (^^hurch 
Officers,  had  no  reference  to  the  imparting  of  su- 
pernatural gifts,  and  consequently  ought  not  to  be 
deemed  an  extraordinary  and  temporary  rite,  are 
such  as  these:  1.  This  rite  has  been  employed  in 
all  ages  of  the  Church  in  setting  apart  persons  to 
ecclesiastical  office.  2.  It  is  one  of  the  most  natu- 
ral and  significant  modes  of  designating  a  person 
who  is  intended  to  be  consecrated  or  devoted  to  a 
particular  service.  3.  It  was  manifestly  employed 
in  a  number  of  cases  which  occur  in  the  sacred 


284  ORDINATION   OF 

liistory,  where  no  special  gifts  were  intended  to  be 
conveyed;  and,  therefore,  though  sometimes  con- 
nected with  those  gifts,  yet  we  are  sure  it  was  not 
in  all  cases  thus  connected.*  4.  When  hands 
were  laid  on  Paul  and  Barnabas,  at  Antioch,  it  was 
not  that  they  might  receive  these  gifts,  for  ihey 
were  possessed  of  them  prior  to  this  solemnity. 
5.  In  this  case,  too,  it  is  remarkable  that  they  seem 
to  have  been  ordinary  pastors  and  teachers  who 
laid  their  hands  upon  one,  at  least,  of  extraordi- 
nary gifts  and  character.  6.  And,  finally,  in  1 
Tim.  V.  22,  the  whole  rite  of  ordination  seems  to 
be  comprehended  in  this  act;  "Lay  hands  sud- 
denly on  no  man,"  &c.  And  if  we  consider  the 
act  of  laying  hands  on  the  head  of  the  candidate 
for  sacred  office,  as  intended,  at  once,  solemnly  to 
designate  his  person  ;  to  express  an  official  bene- 
diction; and  to  indicate  his  entire  consecration  to 
the  service  of  God  ;  we  could  scarcely  conceive  of 
an  act  more  simple,  and  yet  more  appropriate,  and 
full  of  meaning.  And  although  those  who  lay  on 
hands  in  this  transaction  altogether  disclaim,  as 
was   before  stated,  the  power  of  conveying  the 

*  "  Imposition  of  hands  was  a  Jewish  ceremony,  intro- 
duced, not  by  any  divine  authority,  but  by  custom ;  it 
being  the  practice  among  those  people,  whenever  they 
prayed  to  God  for  any  person,  to  lay  their  hands  upon  his 
head.  Our  Saviour  observed  the  same  custom,  both  when 
he  conferred  his  blessings  on  children,  and  when  he  healed 
the  sick,  adding  prayers  to  the  ceremony.  The  Apostles 
likewise  laid  hands  on  those  upon  whom  they  bestowed 
the  Holy  Ghost.  The  priests  observed  the  same  custom 
when  any  one  was  received  into  their  body.  And  the 
Apostles  themselves  underwent  the  imposition  of  hands 
afresh,  when  they  entered  upon  any  new  design.  In  the 
ancient  Church  imposition  of  hands  was  even  practised  on 
persons  when  they  were  married;  which  custom  the 
Abyssinians  still  observe." — Burder's  Oriental  Customs, 
ii.  25. 


RULING   ELDERS.  285 

Holy  Ghost  to  the  individual  ordained;  yet  as  an 
emblem  of  what  he  needs,  and  ought  unceasingly 
to  seek,  and  of  what  his  brethren  desire  and  pray 
for  on  his  behalf,  it  is,  surely,  in  a  high  degree 
expressive,  and  by  no  means  open  to  the  charge  of 
either  presumption  or  supersliiion.  I  would  say, 
therefore,  concerning  this  part  of  the  solemnity  of 
ordination,  in  the  language  of  the  venerable  Cal- 
vin :  "Although  there  is  no  express  precept  for 
the  imposition  of  hands;  yet  since  we  find  it  to 
have  been  constantly  used  by  the  Apostles,  such  a 
punctual  observance  of  it  by  them  ought  to  have 
the  force  of  a  precept  with  us.  And  certainly  this 
ceremony  is  highly  useful  both  to  recommend  to 
the  people  the  dignity  of  the  ministry,  and  to  ad- 
monish the  person  ordained,  that  he  is  no  longer 
his  own  master,  but  devoted  to  the  service  of  God 
and  the  Church.  Besides,  it  will  not  be  an  un- 
meaning sign.  For  if  the  Spirit  of  God  institute 
nothing  in  the  Church  in  vain,  we  shall  perceive 
that  this  ceremony,  which  proceeded  from  Him,  is 
not  without  its  use,  provided  it  be  not  perverted 
by  a  superstitious  abuse."* 

But  if  this  rite  be  so  reasonable,  so  scriptural,  so 
expressive,  and  so  generally  adopted  by  almost  all 
Christian  denominations,  in  ordaining  those  Elders 
who  "labour  in  the  word  and  doctrine;"  how 
comes  it  to  pass  that  it  should  be  so  generally,  not 
to  say  universally  omitted  in  the  ordination  of  Rul- 
ing Elders  ?  I  have  long  deplored  this  omission  ;t 

*  Institutioncs,  Lib.  iv.  Cap.  iii.  16. 

t  Many  years  ago,  the  author  of  this  volume,  under 
the  deep  and  unwavering  conviction  that  he  had  t-criptural 
authority  to  sustain  him,  when  called  upon  to  ordain 
Elders  and  Deacons  in  a  vacant  Church,  added  to  the 
usual  solemnity  on  such  occasions,  the  act  of  "laying  on 
of  hands"  in  the  ordaining  prayer.    Finding,  however,  that 


2S6  OEDINATION  OF 

and  cannot  help  believing  that  the  restoration  of  so 
appropriate  and  impressive  a  part  of  the  ordaining 
service  would,  in  all  probability,  be  attended  with 
beneficial  effects. 

It  is  not  easy  to  ascertain  the  origin  of  the  omis- 
sion in  question.  The  apostolic  office  of  Ruling 
Elder,  was  preserved,  as  we  have  seen,  by  the 
witnesses  of  the  truth,  during  the  dark  ages. 
Whether  the  pious  Waldenses  and  Bohemian 
Brethren  were  in  the  habit  of  setting  apart  liiis 
class  of  officers  with  the  imposition  of  hands,  can- 
not now,  so  far  as  I  know,  be  determined.  The 
Reformers  received  the  office  under  consideration 
from  those  pious  Waldenses ;  and  were  well  aware, 
as  their  writings  evince,  that  all  ordinations  in  the 
Synagogue,  and  in  the  primitive  Church,  had  been 
accompanied  with  the  laying  on  of  hands.  Still, 
however,  while  they  with  one  accord,  retained  this 
rite  in  the  ordination  of  Teaching  Elders,  they 
seem,  quite  as  unanimously,  to  have  discarded  it 
in  the  ordination  of  Ruling  Elders.*    Of  the  cause 

many  of  his  brethren  considered  it  as  an  innovation,  and 
were  by  no  means  prepared  to  introduce  the  practice ;  be- 
lieving that  diversity  of  practice  in  relation  to  this  mat- 
ter would  be  very  undesirable;  and  persuaded,  moreover, 
that  the  act  in  question  ought  not  to  be  deemed  an  essen- 
tial in  any  ordination — he  resolved  not  to  repeat  it,  until  it 
could  be  used  without  offence,  and  with  better  prospects  of 
edification  to  the  Church. 

*  It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  our  Independent  brethren, 
at  early  periods  of  their  history,  adhered  more  closely  to 
the  scriptural  method  of  ordaining  Ruling  Elders  and 
Deacons,  than  even  Presbyterians.  See  the  Cambridge 
Platform,  chapters  vii.  and  ix.  See  also  a  Confession  of 
Faith,  adopted  by  some  Anti-peedobaptists,  (to  the  amount 
of  100  congregations,)  in  England  and  Wales,  in  1689; 
and  ratified  and  adopted  by  a  Baptist  Association  met  at 
Philadelphia,  in  1742;  chapter  27.    Also  a  "Short  Trea- 


RULING    ELDERS.  287 

of  this,  their  writings  give  us  no  intimation;  nor 
has  it  ever  been  my  lot  to  hear,  from  any  quarter, 
a  single  reason  for  the  omission,  which  was  in  the 
least  degree  satisfactory.  To  be  told,  that  the 
omission  has  "  long  been  established;" — that,  while 
all  the  Protestant  Churches  in  the  world,  except 
that  of  England,  receive  this  class  of  officers,  in 
one  form  or  another,  they  are  "  no  where  ordained 
by  the  imposition  of  hands  ;" — that  tliis  is  "  the 
custom  of  the  Church  ;" — that  to  depart  from  it 
would  be  '*  to  innovate"  and  "  give  oftence,"  &c. 
that  this  rite  "  may  be  omitted  without  injury,  not 
being  an  essential  part  of  ordination,"  &c. — is 
surely  little  adapted  to  satisfy  an  inquiring  mind, 
desirous  of  receiving,  as  well  as  of  being  able  to 
give,  a  reason  for  every  practice. 

But  although,  as  has  been  already  said,  no  rea- 
son is  formally  assigned,  or  even  hinted,  in  the 
writings  of  the  Reformers,  for  laying  aside  the  im- 
position of  hands  in  the  ordination  of  Ruling  El- 
ders ;  it  is  not,  perhaps,  difficult  to  conjecture  how 
it  happened.  One  mistake,  I  suspect,  naturally  led 
to  another.  They  began  by  considering  the  office 
as  a  temporary  one;  or,  rather  allowing  those  who 
bore  it,  if  they  saw  fit,  to  decline  sustaining  it  for 
more  than  a  single  year.  There  was  a  new  elec- 
tion of  these  Elders  annually.  The  same  indivi- 
duals, indeed,  if  they  were  acceptable  to  the  people, 
and  were  willing  to  continue  to  serve  the  Church, 
might  be  re-elected  for  a  series  of  years,  or,  if  they 
consented,  even  for  life.  But  this  seldom  occurred. 
There  was,  for  the  most  part,  annually,  a  consi- 
derable change  in  the  individuals,  and,  annually,  a 
new  ordination.    The  tenure  of  the  office  being  thus 

tise  on  Church  Discipline,"  appended  to  it  by  the  latter. 
Chapters  3  and  4. 


288  ORDINATION  OF 

temporary;  and,  in  many  cases,  but  for  a  single 
year; — no  wonder  that  there  should  seem  to  the 
discerning  and  pious  men  who  took  the  lead  in  or- 
ganizing the  Reformed  Churches,  some  incongruity 
between  this  annual  renewal  of  the  official  investi- 
ture and  obligation,  and  setting  apart  men  to  the 
office  in  question,  each  time,  with  the  very  same 
formalities  which  attended  the  ordination  of  mi- 
nisters of  the  gospel,  whose  tenure  of  office  was 
for  life.  This  incongruity,  it  is  probable,  struck 
them  with  so  much  force,  that  they  could  not  re- 
concile it  with  their  feelings  to  set  apart  to  their 
office,  these  temporary  incumbents,  with  the  same 
rites  and  solemnity  which  they  employed  in  or- 
daining ministers  of  the  Word  and  Sacraments.* 
Nor  is  it  matter  of  wonder  that  such  feelings 
should  have  had  an  influence  on  their  minds. 
Those  who  take  such  a  view  of  the  tenure  of  the 
office  in  question  as  they  did,  will  never  be  very 
cordial  or  decisive  either  in  addressing  those  who 
bear  it,  or  in  setting  them  apart,  as  men  consecrated 
for  life  to  the  service  of  the  Church.  But  that  in 
the  Church  of  Scotland,t  and  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  this  country;  where,  it  is  believed,  cor- 

*  This  representation  is  not  wholly  gratuitous.  It  ap- 
pears from  the  Compendium  '1  hcologisB  Christiana)  of 
Marck,  and  from  the  opinion  of  Frederick  Spanheim,  quot- 
ed with  approbation  by  De  Moor,  the  Commentator  on 
Marck,  that  all  three  of  these  Divines  of  the  Reformed 
Church  iiad  no  other  objection  to  the  laying  on  of  hands 
in  the  ordination  of  RuMng  Elders,  than  that  which  I  have 
suggested. — De  Moori  Com.  Perpet.  Vol.  vi.'p.  330. 

t  At  what  period  in  the  history  of  the  Church  of  Scot- 
land it  was  that  the  annual  election  of  Elders  was  laid 
aside,  and  tlie  oHice  made  permanent,  it  has  not  fallen  in 
the  author's  way  to  obtain  information.  He  is  disposed 
to  believe,  however,  that  the  change  took  place  either  lato 
in  the  sixteenth,  or  early  in  the  seventeenth  century. 


RULING    ELDERS.  289 

rect  views  of  llie  office  of  Ruling  Elder,  as  perpe- 
tual, are  universally  received,  the  scriptural  mode 
of  setting  apart  to  this  office  should  have  been  so 
long  and  so  generally  disused,  is  a  fact  for  which 
it  is  not  easy  to  assign  a  satisfactory  reason. 

We  are  now  prepared  to  take  a  brief  survey  of 
the  arguments  by  which  the  propriety  of  ordaining 
Elders  by  the  imposition  of  hands  may  be  main- 
tained.    They  are  such  as  the  following: 

1.  We  find,  throughout  the  whole  Jewish  his- 
tory, that  solemnly  laying  the  hands  on  the  head 
of  a  person  who  was  intended  to  be  particularly 
honoured,  blessed,  or  devoted  to  sacred  functions, 
was  a  rile  of  frequent,  not  to  say  constant  use; 
and  even  in  cases  in  which  the  conveyance  of  the 
miraculous  gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  could  not  pos- 
sibly have  been  designed. 

2.  The  inspired  Apostles,  in  organizing  the  New 
Testament  Church,  look  as  their  model  the  Syna- 
gogue system  of  government,  to  which  the  first 
Christians  had  been  all  their  lives  accustomed. 

3.  It  is  certain  that  in  every  Jewish  Synagogue 
there  was  a  bench  of  Ruling  Elders  ;  and  it  is  just 
as  certain  that  these  Elders  were  always  ordained 
by  the  imposition  of  hands. 

4.  There  is  not  a  single  instance  of  an  ordination, 
to  any  ecclesiastical  office  whatever,  of  which  we 
have  any  account  in  the  New  Testament,  in  which 
the  ceremony  of  the  laying  on  of  hands  does  not 
appear  to  have  been  used. 

5.  The  first  Deacons,  though  not  intrusted  with 
an  office  so  purely  spiritual,  or  so  arduous,  as  that 
of  Ruling  Elder,  were  yet,  as  all  acknowledge,  set 
apart  to  the  Diaconate  by  the  imposition  of  hands. 
Of  course,  those  who  bear  a  superior  office  ought 
not  to  be  introduced  to  it  with  less  solemnity. 

6.  To  imagine  that  there  is  any  peculiar  mean- 


290  ORDINATION    OF 

in(r  or  mystical  influence,  in  the  laying  on  of  hands, 
whi(t[i  is  above  the  dignity  of  the  Ruling  Ekler's 
ofTice,  involves,  at  once,  a  huperslitious  esiiniaie  of 
a  simple,  emblematical  act,  and  an  unworthy  de- 
gradation of  an  important  order  in  the  Christian 
family. 

Accordingly,  it  is  observable,  that  almost  all 
classes  of  writers  whose  judgment  in  reference  to 
this  matter  is  worthy  ol  particular  notice,  freely 
concede  the  propriety  of  setting  apart  both  Ruling 
Elders  and  Deacons  in  the  manner  for  which  I 
contend  ;  and  scarcely  ofl^er  any  other  reason,  for 
omitiinjr  it,  ihan  that  such  has  been  "long  the 
custom"  of  the  Reformed  Churches,  and  that  the 
ceremony  is  not  "essential"  to  a  valid  ordination. 
The  following  specimen  of  the  manner  in  which 
the  subject  is  treated  by  such  writers,  will  be  quite 
sufllcient  to  establish  my  position. 

The  very  learned  authors  of  the  Theses  Ley- 
(lenses,  who  were  zealous  Presbyterians,  in  speak- 
ing of  the  biennial  election  of  Ruling  Elders  and 
Deacons,  in  the  Church  of  Holland,  acknowledge 
that,  in  the  Apostolic  Church,  those  oflices  were 
both  perpetual,  and  concede  that  the  different  plan 
adopted  among  themselves  was  an  imperfection  ;* 
plainly  intimating,  that  their  mode  of  ordaining 
these  oflicers  had  grown  out  of  this  imperfection. 

The  foreign  Protestants,  who  established  them- 
selves in  London,  during  the  reign  of  Edward  the 
sixth,  not  only  had  Ruling  Elders  and  Deacons,  in 
all  their  Churches;  but  also  unifornply  ordained 
Ihem  by  the  imposition  of  hands,  as  we  have  seen 
in  the  preceding  chapter. 

The  Rev.  John  Anderson,  of  Scotland,  the  able 
and  zealous   defender  of  Presbyterianism  against 

*  Synopsis  Purioris  TheologisB.  DIsput.  42.  p.  621. 


RULING    ELDERS.  291 

Rliind,  who  lived  a  lillle  more  than  a  century  ago, 
speaking  of  the  ordinaiion  of  Ruling  Elders  by  the 
imposition  of  liands,  has  the  following  passage. 
*'  Nobody  doubts  it  is  very  lawfid  ;  and,  for  my 
own  part,  I  heartily  wish  it  were  practised;  but  I 
deny  that  it  is  absolutely  necessary,  there  being  no 
precept  enjoining  it."* 

The  Rev.  Archibald  llall,  also  of  Great  Britain, 
and  a  thorough-going  advocate  for  Presbyterian  or- 
der, speaks  on  the  same  subject  in  the  following 
terms.  "The  call  of  Ruling  Elders,  like  the  call 
of  the  Elders  who  'labour  in  the  word  and  doc- 
trine,' consists  in  two  things,  viz.,  election  and  or- 
dination. Their  electmn  should  be  popular^  and 
their  ordination  judicial,  and  performed  with  lay- 
ing on  of  hands."  And,  in  a  subsequent  page,  he 
expresses  an  opinion  that  Deacons  ought  to  be  or- 
dained in  the  same  manner.! 

The  venerable  John  Brown,  of  Haddington,  one 
of  the  most  decisive,  consistent  and  devoted  Pres- 
byterians that  ever  lived; — after  giving  an  accoimt 
of  the  nature  and  warrant  of  the  ofhce  of  Ruling 
Elders,  observes — "  Their  ordination  ought  to  be 
transacted  in  much  the  same  manner,  as  that  of 
teaching  Elders,  or  Pastors  ."J 

The  learned  and  pious  Dr.  Cotton  Mather,  deli- 
vers the  following  opinion  on  the  subject  before 
us.  "The  imposition  of  hands  in  the  ordination 
of  a  Church  officer,  is  a  rite  not  only  lawful  to  be 
retained;  but  it  seems  by  a  divine  institution  di- 
rected and  required;  so  that  although  the  call  of  a 
person  to  Church  office  may  not  become  null  and 
void,  where  that  rite  may  have  been  omitted,  as  it 

*  Defence,  &lc.  Chap.  ii.  Sect.  vi.  p.  179. 
t  Scriptural  View  of  the  Gospel  Church,  Chapters   12 
and  15.  p.  67.  102. 

X  Compendious  View.  Book  vii.  Chapter  ii.  p.  640. 


292  ORDINATION   OF 

is  in  the  Seniors  and  Deacons  in  most  of  the  Re- 
formed Churches  ;  yet  we  cannot  approve  the  omis- 
sion of  it.  A  ceremonial  defect  may  be  blame- 
worthy."* 

The  Rev.  President  Dwight,  gives  an  opinion 
concerning  the  ordination  of  Deacons,  which  is 
decisive  of  his  opinion  concerning  that  of  Ruling 
Elders,  in  favour  of  which  latter  class  of  ollicers, 
he  very  explicitly,  as  we  have  before  seen,  declares 
his  judgment.     He  speaks  thus: 

"  Deacons  are  to  be  ordained  by  the  imposition 
of  hands,  and  by  prayer." 

"  When  the  brethren  had  set  these  men  before 
the  Apostles,"  Luke  informs  us,  *'  they  prayed, 
and  laid  their  hands  upon  them." 

'*This  also  is  an  authoritative  example  of  the 
manner  in  which  Deacons  are  to  be  introduced 
into  every  Church.  It  is  the  example  of  inspired 
men  ;  and  was,  therefore,  the  pleasure  of  the  Spirit 
of  Cod.  Tliere  is  no  hint  in  the  New  Testament, 
nor  even  in  ecclesiastical  history,  that  they  were 
ever  introduced  in  any  other  manner.  At  the  same 
time,  there  is  no  precept,  revoking,  or  altering  the 
authority,  or  influence  of  this  example.  It  stands, 
therefore,  in  full  force;  and  requires  that  all  per- 
sons chosen  by  the  Church  to  this  ofRce,  should 
be  consecrated  to  the  duties  of  it  in  the  same 
manner." 

»'  It  is  to  be  observed,  further,  that  if  any  such 
alteration  had  existed  in  periods  subsequent  to  the 
apostolic  age,  it  would  have  been  totally  destitute 
of  any  authority  to  us.  This  mode  of  consecration 
has,  in  fact,  been  disused  in  New  England,  to  a 
considerable  extent.  For  this,  however,  there 
seems  to  have  been  no  reason  of  any  value.     So 

*  Magnalia,  Vol.  ii.  p.  218. 


RULING    ELDERS.  293 

far  as  I  have  been  able  to  gain  information  on  the 
subject,  the  disuse  was  originated  at  first,  and  has 
been  gradually  extended  by  mere  inattention  ;  nor 
is  it  capable,  so  far  as  I  know,  of  any  defence.^^* 

These  are  a  few  of  the  authorities  v\hich  might 
be  quoted  in  favour  of  the  same  general  position. 
In  fact,  I  have  met  with  no  Presbyterian  or  Inde- 
pendent writer,  who  believed  in  the  propriety  of 
the  imposition  of  hands  in  any  case  of  ordination, 
who  did  not  either  explicitly,  or  virtually  grant, 
that  there  was  no  reason  for  withholding  this  cere- 
mony in  the  case  of  Ruling  Elders,  but  the  custom 
of  the  Church,  or  some  similar  consideration. 

On  the  supposition,  then,  that  the  imposition  of 
hands  ought  always  to  be  employed  in  the  ordi- 
nation of  Ruling  Elders,  the  question  naturally 
arises; — TVkose  hands  ought  to  be  laid  on  in  such 
ordinations  ?  A  nd  here,  if  we  attend  to  the  simplest 
principles  of  all  government,  it  would  seem  that 
we  could  scarcely  be  at  a  loss  for  a  satisfactory 
answer. 

It  seems  to  be  a  fundamental  principle  in  every 
department,  both  of  the  natural  and  moral  world, 
that  every  thing  must  be  considered  as  capable  of 
begetting  its  like.  If  this  be  so,  does  it  not  follow, 
as  a  plain  dictate  of  common  sense,  that,  in  ordain- 
ing Ruling  Elders,  the  members  of  the  Session 
already  in  office  should  lay  on  hands,  with  the 
Pastor,  in  setting  apart  an  additional  number  to  the 
same  office  ?  In  other  words,  if  there  be  such  a 
body  already  in  existence  in  the  Church,  the  hands 
of  the  parochial  Presbytery  ought  to  be  laid  on,  in 
adding  to  its  own  number; — and  the  "right  hand 
of  fellowship"  given,  at  the  close  of  the  service, 

*  Theology  explained  and  defended.    Vol.  iv.  p.  291. 
25 


294  ORDINATION    OF 

by  each  member  of  the  Session,  to  each  of  his 
newly  ordained  brethren.  This  appears  to  me 
equally  agreeable  to  reason  and  Scripture,  and 
highly  adapted  to  edification.  And  if  there  be  no 
Eldership  already  in  the  Church  in  which  the  ordi- 
nation takes  place — then  the  Presbytery,  upon  pro- 
per application  being  made  to  them,  ought  to  ap- 
point ai  least  one  minister,  and  two  or  more  Ruling 
Elders,  to  attend,  at  the  time  and  place  most  con- 
venient, to  perform  the  ordination.  How  much 
more  impressive  and  acceptable  would  be  such  a 
scene,  than  the  cold  and  naked  manner  in  which 
this  service  is  too  often  performed  ! 

A  question  may  here  arise  in  the  minds  of  some, 
whether  those  Elders  who,  when  ordained,  had  no 
hands  laid  on  them,  may,  witliout  impropriety,  join 
in  the  imposition  of  hands  on  the  heads  of  their 
younger  brethren,  who  may  be  ordained  in  this 
manner?  To  this  question,  beyond  all  doubt, 
we  may  confidently  return  an  atlirmative  answer. 
They  may  unite  in  the  imposition  of  hands,  with- 
out the  least  scruple,  and  with  the  utmost  propriety. 
All  reasonable  men  grant,  that  the  rile  in  question, 
though  rational  and  scriptural,  is  not  essential  to  a 
valid  ordination.  Our  venerable  Fathers  of  the 
Scotch  Reformation  did  not  deem  the  imposition  of 
hands  necessary,  even  in  the  ordination  of  Minis- 
ters of  the  gospel ;  and,  therefore,  in  their  First 
Book  of  Discipline  did  not  prescribe  it.  Elders, 
therefore,  who  have  been  regularly  set  apart  to 
their  office,  agreeably  to  the  Formula  prescribed 
in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  have  received  an  or- 
dination completely  valid.  They  are  fully  invest- 
ed with  the  office,  and  with  all  the  powers  and 
privileges  which  it  includes.  It  is  contrary  to  the 
whole  genius  of  the  gospel  to  make  a  mere  cere- 
monial defect  fatal  to  the  substance  of  an  otherwise 


RULING   ELDERS.  295 

regular  investiture.  If  Elders  who  have  been  thus 
ordained,  be  deemed  competent  to  any  part  of  their 
official  work,  they  are  competent  to  every  part; 
and,  of  course,  to  partake  in  the  solemnity  which 
I  am  here  endeavouring  to  recommend. 

If  the  foregoing  principles  be  correct,  then  Ruling 
Elders  ought  also  to  lay  on  hands,  with  the  Pas- 
tor, in  the  ordination  of  Deacons;  their  office  as 
Rulers  vesting  them  with  full  power  for  this  act, 
and  rendering  it  strictly  proper.  But  inasmuch 
as  Deacons  make  no  part  of  the  parochial  presby- 
tery, and  are  not  vested  with  any  portion  of  the 
function  of  spiritual  government;  it  does  not  seem 
proper  that  they  should  lay  on  hands  in  any  case 
of  ordination.  In  that  of  Ruling  Elders,  it  would 
be  nianifesdy  incongruous;  since  their  office  is 
altogether  unlike.  But  even  in  the  ordination  of 
Deacons,  it  would  be  inconsistent  with  regular 
order.  Ordination  is  an  act  not  only  official,  but 
also  authoritative.  It  is  an  act  of  government :  but 
to  no  participation  in  this  are  Deacons  appointed. 
This  office,  as  we  have  seen,  is  highly  important, 
and  requires  much  wisdom,  piety,  prudence,  and 
diligence  ;  but  their  sphere  of  duty  is  entirely  dif- 
ferent from  that  of  those  who  are  "  set  over  the 
flock  in  the  Lord,"  and  who  are  appointed  to 
"  watch  for  souls  as  they  that  must  give  account.'* 

If,  after  this  whole  discussion,  any  should  be 
disposed  to  ask,  what  additional  advantage  may  be 
expected  to  flow  from  ordaining  our  Elders  by  the 
imposition  of  hands,  and  with  similar  external 
solemnities  to  those  which  are  employed  in  setting 
apart  ministers  of  the  gospel  ? — I  answer — It  will 
be  a  return  to  scriptural  example,  and  primitive 
usage — which  is  always  right,  and  will,  we  have 
reason  to  hope,  by  the  grace  of  God,  be  connected 
with  a  blessing.     It  will  be  doing  warranted  and 


296  RESIGNATION,   &C.,   OF 

appropriate  honour  to  a  class  of  officers  too  long 
deprived  of  their  due  estimation  and  auihority. 
When  the  people  see  those  whom  they  have  elect- 
ed to  this  office,  devoutly  kneeling  before  the  Lord, 
and  the  hands  of  the  parochial  Presbytery  laid  on 
their  iieads,  with  fervent  prayer,  and  with  a  solemn 
charge  and  benediction  ; — they  will  naturally  at- 
tach to  the  office  itself  more  importance,  and  to 
those  who  bear  it,  more  reverence.  Nay,  perhaps 
it  is  not  unreasonable  to  believe,  that  such  solemni- 
ties may  be  made  tlie  means  of  salutary  impressions 
on  tiie  minds  even  of  their  immediate  subjects.  If 
the  writer  of  these  lines  does  not  greatly  mistake, 
he  has  known  the  solemnities  attending  the  ordi- 
nation of  Pastors,  productive  of  deep  and  lasting 
impressions,  both  on  the  ordained,  and  the  specta- 
tors. But  he  has  no  recollection  of  ever  witnessing 
any  such  result  from  our  comparatively  cold  and 
lifeless  mode  of  setting  apart  the  official  Rulers  in 
Christ's  house.  "  This  is  a  lamentation,  and  shall 
be  for  a  lamentation." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

OF  THE  RESIGNATION  OF  RULING  ELDERS  ;  THEIR  REMO- 
VAL FROM  ONE  CHURCH  TO  ANOTHER  ;  AND  THE  ME- 
THOD OF  CONDUCTING  DISCIPLINE  AGAINST  THEM. 

As  it  is  a  fundamental  principle  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  that  the  office  of  Ruling  Elder  is  perma- 
nent; that  when  a  man  is  once  set  apart  to  it,  he 
is  always  an  Elder,  while  he  lives,  unless  deposed 
by  regular  constitutional  process ;  a  variety  of 
questions,  naturally  resulting  from  this  principle, 
claim  our  notice.     Among  these,  some  of  the  more 


RULING    ELDERS.  297 

obvious  and  important  will  be  briefly  considered 
in  the  present  chapter. 

A  Ruling  Elder,  after  being  regularly  and  so- 
lemnly set  apart  to  his  office,  with,  perhaps,  as 
full  an  intention  of  faithfully  performing  its  duties 
to  his  life's  end,  as  ever  man  had  ;  may  lose  his 
health,  and  thus  become  physically  and  perma- 
nently unable  to  perform  those  duties.  Or  he  may 
become,  unavoidably,  so  situated,  with  regard  to 
his  temporal  business  as  to  render  the  regular  ful- 
filment of  his  duties  altogether  impracticable.  In 
this  case,  the  individual  supposed,  may  resign  his 
place  in  the  Session;  in  other  words,  he  may 
cease  to  be  an  acting  Overseer,  or  Inspector  and 
Ruler  of  that  Church.  He  will,  of  course,  still 
retain  his  place  and  privileges  as  a  regular  member 
of  the  Church;  but  he  will  no  longer  take  any 
part  in  its  spiritual  government.  This  is  so  rea- 
sonable a  provision,  that  it  can  scarcely  be  thought 
to  require  either  illustration  or  defence.  We  all 
know  that  a  Teaching  Elder,  or  Minister  of  the 
Word  and  Sacraments,  after  being  for  a  time  a 
Pastor,  may,  if  the  state  of  his  health,  or  any  other 
circumstance  should  imperiously  demand  it,  resign 
his  pastoral  charge,  and  retire,  as  long  as  the  cause 
of  his  resignation  continues  to  operate,  to  private 
life.  He  who  does  this,  it  is  well  known,  though 
he  ceases  to  be  a  Pastor,  still  continues  to  be  a 
minister,  fully  invested  with  the  powers  of  an 
"Ambassador  of  Christ."  He  may  still,  if  he 
think  proper,  reside  within  the  bounds  of  the  con- 
gregation which  he  formerly  served  ;  and  he  may, 
occasionally,  if  mutually  convenient  and  agreeable, 
minister  to  them  in  sacred  things.  But  he  is  no 
longer  their  minister;  and  he  may  never  think 
proper  again  to  take  a  pastoral  charge. 

All  these  principles  apply  to  the  Ruling  Elder. 


298  RESIGNATION,    &.C.    OF 

If  he  verily  think  that  he  cannot  any  longer  per- 
form the  duties  of  his  office  in  a  manner  acceptable 
either  to  the  Head  of  the  Ciiurch,  or  to  his  people; 
he  may  withdraw  from  active  service.  When  he 
does  this,  however,  he  does  not  lay  down  his  of- 
fice. He  does  not  cease  to  be  an  Elder.  He  only 
ceases  to  be  an  acting  elder.  If  his  health  should 
ever  be  restored,  or  his  temporal  circumstances  un- 
dergo a  favourable  alteration,  he  may  resume  the 
duties  of  his  ofSce,  and  again  take  his  place  in  the 
Session  from  which  he  withdrew,  or  some  other, 
without  a  new  ordination.  When  an  Elder  thus 
wishes  to  resign  his  station,  he  is  to  give  official  no- 
tice of  his  desire  to  the  Session  ;  they  are  to  declare 
if  they  think  proper,  their  acceptance  of  his  resig- 
nation ;  the  whole  transaction  is  to  be  distinctly  re- 
corded in  the  Sessional  Book;  and  report  made  lo 
the  Presbytery  that  the  individual  in  question  has 
ceased  to  be  an  acting  member  of  that  Session. 

Again  ;  an  Elder  may  become  wholly  incapable 
of  serving  the  Church  with  whifh  he  is  connected, 
by  the  entire  loss  of  his  popularity.  He  may  not 
have  become  either  heterodox  in  his  theological 
opinions,  or  so  irregular  in  any  part  of  his  prac- 
tice, as  to  render  himself  liable  to  process  or  depo- 
sition from  office;  and  yet  he  may,  by  indiscre- 
tions, or  by  undignified  conduct,  so  lose  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  the  people;  or,  in  a 
moment  of  prejudice  or  passion,  the  popular  feel- 
ing, without  any  just  ground  of  blame  on  his  part, 
may  be  so  strong  against  h.im,  that  he  may  be  no 
longer  able  to  serve  the  Church  either  acceptably, 
or  to  edification,  as  a  spiritual  Kuler.  In  either  of 
these  cases,  he  ought  voluntarily  to  resign  his  place 
in  the  Session,  as  stated  in  the  preceding  para- 
graph ;  and  the  Session,  after  taking  a  vote  of  ac- 
ceptance on  the   resignation,   ought  distinctly  to 


RULING    ELDERS.  ^99 

record  the  same  in  the  minutes  of  their  proceedings, 
and  make  regular  report  of  it,  for  the  information  of 
the  Presbytery.  In  all  this  there  will  be  recog- 
nised an  almost  exact  similarity  to  the  usual  course 
of  proceeding,  when  a  Pastor  is  sensible  that  he 
has  become  unpopular,  and  wishes  to  resign  liis 
charge. 

It  may  be,  however,  that  the  Elder,  whose  popu- 
larity is  thus  prostrated,  may  not  be  sensible  of 
his  real  situation;  may  be  unwilling  to  believe 
that  he  is  not  popular,  and  may,  therefore,  refuse, 
even  when  requested,  to  resign  his  station.  In 
this  case,  the  course  prescribed  in  our  Form  of 
Government,  is,  that  the  Session  make  due  report 
of  the  whole  matter  to  the  Presbytery,  giving  due 
notice  to  the  Elder  in  question  of  the  time  and 
place  at  which  it  is  intended  to  make  the  report; 
and  that  the  Presbytery  decide,  after  due  inquiry 
and  deliberation,  whether  he  ought  to  resign,  or 
continue  his  connexion  with  the  Session.  On  the 
one  hand,  no  Church  ought  to  be  burdened  by  the 
incumbency  of  an  unpopular  and  obstinate  Elder, 
who,  instead  of  edifying,  is  injuring  it.  And,  on 
the  other  hand,  no  innocent  and  really  exemplary- 
Elder  ouglit  to  be  abandoned  to  the  fury  of  popular 
prejudice,  and  permitted  to  be  trampled  under  feet, 
when,  perhaps,  he  ought  to  be  sustained  and  ho- 
noured for  his  fidelity. 

Further;  Ruling  Elders,  like  other  Church 
members,  may  tind  it  their  duty  to  remove  their 
residence  from  the  bounds  of  the  Church  which 
called  them  to  office,  to  another.  Such  cases  not 
unfreqiienily  arise.  The  question  is,  when  they 
do  occur,  how  is  the  official  standing  of  such  a 
removing  Elder  to  be  disposed  o(  ?  He,  of  course, 
when  he  goes,  ought  to  take  with  him  a  regular 
certificate  of  good  standing,  as  a  private  Christian, 


300  RESIGNATION,    &LC.   OF 

and  a  dismission  and  recommendation  to  the 
Chnrch  to  which  lie  removes.  The  certificate 
ought  also  to  be;ir  an  attestation  of  his  regular 
standing  as  an  Elder,  and  of  his  ofiicial  as  well 
as  personal  dismission  from  his  former  Church. 
"Willi  this  certificate  he  will  repair  to  the  Church 
to  wliich  he  is  recommended,  and  will,  of  course, 
be  received  as  a  private  member  in  good  standing. 
If  the  existing  Eldership  and  members  of  the 
Church  to  which  he  removes,  think  it  for  their 
edification  that  he  be  introduced  into  their  Session, 
he  may.be  elected  in  the  manner  "  most  approved 
and  in  use  in  that  congregation;"  that  is,  either 
by  a  nomination  by  the  Session,  or  by  a  popular 
vote  of  the  Church  members;  and  if  thus  elected, 
introduced  to  an  ofliicial  relation  to  that  people,  not 
by  a  new  ordination,  which  ought  never  to  be  re- 
peated ;  but  by  being  regularly  installed  as  their 
Elder.  'J'his  is  effected  by  the  candidate  appear- 
ing in  the  face  of  the  congregation,  as  one  about  to 
be  ordained;  answering  in  the  affirmative  the 
fourth  question  directed  to  be  put  to  candidates  for 
the  Eldership  at  their  ordination;  the  members  of 
the  congregation  publicly  professing  to  receive  him 
as  their  spiritual  Kuler,  agreeably  to  the  last  ques- 
tion, in  the  same  formula;  declaring  him  one  of 
the  Ruling  Elders  of  that  Church;  and  closing 
with  prayer  for  the  divine  blessing  on  the  trans- 
action. 

It  may  be,  however,  that  when  an  individual, 
who  has  served  one  congregation  as  an  Elder, 
removes  into  the  bounds  of  another,  that  other  may 
not,  on  the  whole,  think  best  to  elect  him  as  one 
of  their  Elders.  They  may  already  have  as  many 
as  they  think  there  ought  lo  be  in  one  Church. 
Or  his  character,  though  unexceplionably  good, 
may  not  be  such  as  to  promise  great  benefit  by 


RULING   ELDERS.  3Q  J 

taking  him  into  their  parochial  Presbytery.  In 
this  case,  they  are  under  no  obligation  to  elect  him 
one  of  iheir  elders.  And  if  they  do  not  think  best 
to  employ  him  in  this  character,  he  may  live  among 
them  as  a  private  member  of  tiie  Church.  At  this 
he  ought  to  take  no  oHTence.  It  would  be  a  hard 
case,  indeed,  if  Churches  were  not  left  at  liberty 
to  act  agreeably  to  their  own  views  of  propriety 
and  duty  in  such  cases.  If  a  preaching  Elder,  or 
Pastor,  be  liberated  from  his  pastoral  charge,  and 
remove  his  residence  within  the  bounds  of  another 
Church,  however  excellent  his  character,  that 
Church  is  not  bound  to  employ  him.  To  suppose 
it  bound,  would  indeed  be  ecclesiastical  slavery. 
A  preacher  inferior  to  him,  in  every  respect,  might 
be  preferred.  Every  Church  must  be  left  to  its 
own  unbiassed  choice.  Still  the  Elder,  as  well  as 
the  minister,  in  the  case  supposed,  though  in  re- 
tirement, and  without  ofhcial  employment,  retains 
his  office,  and  is  capable  of  being  employed  in  that 
office,  whenever  the  judicatories  of  the  Church 
think  proper  to  avail  themselves  of  his  services. 

When  Ruling  Elders  become  chargeable  with 
lieresy  or  immorality,  and,  of  course,  liable  to  the 
discipline  of  the  Church,  they  are  amenable  to  the 
bar  of  the  Church  Session.  I3y  that  body  they  are 
to  be  arraigned  and  tried.  Process  against  them  is 
to  be  conducted  according  to  the  same  general  rules 
which  regulate  the  trial  of  private  members  of  the 
Church,  excepting  that,  as  their  character  is,  in 
some  respects,  more  important,  and  their  example 
more  influential,  than  the  character  and  example  of 
those  who  bear  no  office  in  the  Church;  so  there 
ought  to  be  peculiar  caijlion,  tenderness,  and  care 
in  receiving  accusations,  and  in  commencing  pro- 
cess against  them.  "  Against  ai>  Elder,''  says  the 
26 


302  RESIGNATION,   &.C.    OF 

inspired  Paul,  "  receive  not  an  accusation,  but  be- 
fore two  or  three  witnesses."  If,  therefore,  any 
person  observe  or  hear  of  any  thing  in  a  Ruling 
Elder  which  he  considers  as  rendering  him  justly 
liable  to  censure,  he  ought  by  no  means  imme- 
diately to  spread  it  abroad;  but  to  communicate 
what  he  has  observed  or  heard  to  the  Pastor  of  the 
Church,  and  take  his  advice  as  to  the  proper  course 
to  be  pursued  ;  and  if  the  Pastor  cannot  be  seen 
and  consulted,  then  similar  consultation  and  advice 
should  be  had  with  one,  at  least,  of  the  brother 
Elders  of  the  supposed  delinquent:  and  all  this, 
before  any  hint  respecting  the  alleged  delinquency 
is  lisped  to  any  other  human  being. 

As  the  Church  Session  is  the  tribunal  to  which 
the  Ruling  Elder  is,  at  least  in  the  first  instance, 
always  amenable  ;  so  it  is  generally  pro[)er  that  he 
should  be  tried  by  that  judicatory.  Yet  where 
there  is  any  thing  peculiar  or  delicate  in  the  case 
of  process  against  an  Elder,  a  Presbytery  should  be 
consulted. 

There  are  cases,  however,  so  very  peculiar  as 
to  preclude  the  possibility  of  an  impartial  trial,  and 
sometimes,  indeed,  of  any  trial  at  all,  before  the 
Session.     A  few  such  cases  may  be  specified. 

An  instance  occurred,  a  few  years  since,  in  which 
there  were  only  two  Elders  in  a  certain  Church 
Session,  and  the  moral  conduct  of  both  these  Elders 
became  impeached.  It  was,  of  course,  impossible 
to  try  them  in  the  usual  manner. 

In  another  case,  the  Session  was  composed 
of  two  Elders  beside  tfie  Pastor.  These  Elders 
were  own  brothers.  One  of  them  was  charged 
with  immoral  conduct;  and  it  was  judged  altogether 
improper  that  any  attempt  should  be  made  to  try 
the  delinquent  in  that  Session. 

In  a  third  class  of  cases,  when  process  against 


RULING    ELDERS.  303 

members  of  Church  Sessions  had  been  commenced, 
it  was  found  that  so  many  of  the  brother  Elders  of 
the  delinquents  were  cited  as  witnesses,  that  there 
was  no  prospect  of  a  disipassionate  and  impartial 
trial  by  the  remainder. 

In  all  these  cases,  it  was  wisely  judged  proper 
to  apply  immediately  to  the  Presbytery,  to  take 
the  several  causes  in  hand,  and  to  commence  and 
issue  process. 

It  has  been  sometimes  proposed,  in  exigencies 
similar  to  those  which  have  been  stated,  without 
applying  to  the  Presbytery,  to  call  in  the  aid  of 
the  EUiership  of  a  neighbouring  Church,  and  to 
submit  ihe  case  to  their  decision.  To  this  course 
there  are  two  ohjeciions.  First — the  Constitution 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  knows  of  no  such  body. 
It  has  no  where  provided  for  the  formation  of  a  pa- 
rochial tribunal  in  such  a  manner.  And,  secondly, 
the  adoption  of  this  plan  would  be  to  set  one  Church 
as  a  judge  over  a  neighbouring  sister  Churcli. 

To  avoid  this  incongruity,  it  has  been  sometimes 
proposed  to  form  a  tribunal  for  the  trial  of  delin- 
quent Elders,  by  selecting  one  or  two  of  the  same 
class  of  officers,  from  each  of  several  neighbouring 
Sessions.  This  was  intended  as  an  expedient  to 
avoid  the  impropriety  of  setting  one  Church  in 
judgment  over  another.  Hut  this  expedient,  be- 
sides that  it  is  unauthorized  by  any  constitutional 
provision,  is  liable  to  the  charge  of  a  selection  of 
judges  which  may  not  always  be  fair  and  impartial. 
It  is  far  better  on  every  account,  and  especially 
more  in  harmony  with  the  nature  of  the  case,  and 
with  the  spirit  of  our  general  principles — to  go 
immediately  to  the  Presbytery.  That  body  is  the 
natural  resort  in  all  cases  in  which  the  Church 
Session  is  unable,  in  its  ordinary  structure  and 
situation,  to  perform  the  contemplated  work. 


304  ADVAITTAOES  OF 


CHAPTER  XV. 

ADVANTAGES  OF  COXDUCTING  DISCIPLINE   ON   THE    PRES- 
BYTERIAN   PLAN. 

It  is  not  forgotten,  in  entering  on  this  chapter,  that 
most  denonjinaiions  of  Cfiristians  are  bo  far  pre- 
judiced, and  somelimes  so  blindly  prejudiced,  in 
favour  of  their  own  particular  government  and  for- 
mularies, that  their  judgment  in  reference  to  this 
matter,  can  seldom  be  regarded  as  impartial.  The 
writer  of  this  Essay,  though  he  does  not  allow 
himself  to  indulge  in  such  prejudices,  yet  does  not 
claim  to  be  wholly  free  from  them.  Instead,  there- 
fore, of  troubling  the  reader  wiih  his  bare  impres- 
sions and  preferences  in  regard  to  the  Presbyterian 
mode  of  conducting  discipline,  which  would,  of 
course,  go  for  nothing;  it  is  proposed  to  present 
such  a  series  of  principles  and  reasonings  as  will 
enable  the  intelligent  inquirer  to  judge  for  him- 
self, how  far  the  conclusions  of  the  writer  are  sus- 
tained by  solid  argument. 

I.  And,  in  the  first  place,  the  plan  of  discipline 
for  which  we  plead,  is  founded,  essentially,  on  the 
principle  o{ Representation,  which,  in  a  greater  or 
less  degree,  pervades  all  human  society.  When  a 
community  of  any  extent  wishes  to  frame  laws  for 
its  own  government,  by  whom  is  this  service 
usually  perl'"ormed  ?  By  the  whole  body  of  citi- 
zens, wise  and  unwise,  orderly  and  disorderly, 
coming  together,  and  debating  on  tlie  propriety  and 
the  form  of  every  proposed  enactment  ?  No,  never. 
An  attempt  of  this  kind  would  soon  show  the  plan 
to  be  equally  foolish  and  impraciicable.  Again; 
when  a  Court  is  to  be  formed,  for  applying  the 


THIS   PLAN.  305 

laws  already  in  force,  to  human  actions,  of  what 
materials  is  this  tribunal  commonly  composed? 
Does  any  one  ever  think  of  summoning  the  whole 
mass  of  the  male  population,  excepting  the  culprit, 
or  the  complainant,  whose  cause  is  to  be  tried,  to 
come  together,  and  decide  on  the  case  ?  Who  would 
ever  expect  either  a  tranquil  or  a  wise  decision 
from  such  a  judicial  assembly  ?  In  both  these 
cases,  the  good  sense  of  men,  in  all  civilized 
society,  dictates  the  choice  of  a  select  number  of 
individuals,  representatives  of  the  whole  body,  and 
supposed  to  possess  a  competent  share  of  know- 
ledge, wisdom,  and  integrity,  to  form  the  laws  of 
the  community ;  and  another  body,  smaller,  indeed, 
but  constituted  upon  similar  principles,  judicially 
to  apply  them  when  enacted.  And  so  in  every  de- 
partment of  society.  The  representative  system 
was  one  of  the  earliest  that  appeared  in  the  pro- 
gress of  mankind.  It  is  recommended  by  its  rea- 
sonableness, its  convenience,  its  wisdom,  and  its 
efficiency.  In  fact,  the  more  deeply  we  look  into 
the  history  and  state  of  the  world,  the  more  clearly 
we  shnll  see  that  large  bodies  of  men  cannot  take  a 
step  without  it. 

And,  as  this  system  pervades  all  civil  society; 
so  we  may  say,  without  fear  of  contradiction,  that 
it  equally  pervades  the  whole  economy  of  Redemp- 
tion and  Grace.  Is  it  not  reasonable,  then,  that  we 
should  find  it  in  the  visible  Church  ?  If  we  did  not, 
it  would,  indeed,  be  a  strange  departure  from  a 
general  principle  of  Jeliovah's  kingdom. 

The  Presbyterian  plan,  then,  of  conducting  the 
government  of  each  congregation,  is  recommended 
by  its  conformity  with  this,  almost  universal,  prin- 
ciple. It  deposits  the  power  of  applying  the  laws 
which  Christ  has  enacted,  and  given  to  his  people; 
not  with  the  whole  professing  population  of  the 


306  ADVANTAGES   OF 

Church  ;  but  with  a  select  body  of  the  communi- 
cants, most  distinguished  for  iheir  piety,  know- 
ledge, judgment,  and  experience.  It  does  not 
make  judges  indiscriminately  of  the  young  and  old, 
the  enlightened  and  the  ignorant,  the  wise  and  the 
unwise.  Ii  selects  the  exemplary,  the  pious,  the 
prudent,  the  grave,  and  the  experienced,  for  this 
important  work.  "  It  sets  ihose  to  judge  who  are 
most  esteemed  in  the  house  of  God."  This  is  the 
theory;  and,  in  most  cases,  we  may  suppose,  the 
actual  practice.  And  where  it  is  really  so,  who 
does  not  see  that  there  is  every  security  which  the 
nature  of  the  case  admits,  that  the  judgment  will 
be  most  calm,  judicious,  and  edifying,  that  the 
amount  of  wisdom  and  of  piety  in  that  Church 
could  pronounce  ? 

The  inconvenience,  nay,  the  positive  mischiefs, 
of  committing  the  judgment,  in  the  most  delicate 
and  difficult  cases  of  implicated  Christian  character, 
to  the  whole  mass  of  Christian  professors,  have 
been  alluded  to  in  a  preceding  chapter.  And  the 
more  closely  they  are  examined,  the  more  serious 
will  they  appear.  No  confidential  precaution;  no 
calm,  retired  inquiry  ;  no  deliberate  consultation  of 
sensitive  feelings,  with  fidelity,  and  yet  with  fra- 
ternal delicacy,  can  possibly  take  place,  inordinary 
cases,  but  by  the  adoption  of  an  expedient,  which 
amounts  to  the  temporary  appointment  of  Elders. 
On  the  contrary,  upon  any  other  plan,  the  door  is 
wide  open  for  tale-bearing;  for  party  heal;  for  the 
violation  of  ail  those  nicer  sensibilities,  which  in 
Christian  society,  are  of  so  much  value;  and  after 
all,  for  a  decision  with  which,  perhaps,  no  one  is 
satisfied.  It  would,  truly,  be  passing  strange,  if  a 
sober,  wise,  and  consistent  decision  should  be  pro- 
nounced by  such  a  tribunal.  We  are  surely,  then, 
warranted  in  setting  it  down  as  one  of  the  manifest 


THIS   PLAN.  307 

advantages  of  conducting  discipline  on  the  Presby- 
terian plan,  that,  by  the  adoption  of  the  represen- 
tative system,  it  provides,  in  all  ordinary  cases,  for 
the  purest,  the  wisest,  and  the  most  edifying  deci- 
sions of  which  the  nature  of  the  case  admits. 

II.  Further  ;  as  was  hinted,  in  a  preceding  chap- 
ter, this  method  of  conducting  discipline,  presents 
one  of  the  firmest  conceivable  barriers  against  the 
ambition  and  encroachments  of  the  clergy.  It  is 
not  intended  again  to  enlarge  on  the  liableness  of 
ministers  of  the  gospel  to  feel  that  love  of  power 
which  is  natural  to  man.  Very  few  of  them,  it  is 
believed,  in  this  land  of  religious  liberty,  have  ever 
really  aimed  at  ecclesiastical  encroachment.  But 
as  laws  are  made  for  the  disobedient;  and  as  mi 
nisters  are  but  men  ;  so  that  system  of  ecclesiastical 
polity  may  be  considered  as  the  best,  which,  while 
it  is  attended  with  the  greatest  amount  of  positive 
advantage,  is  adapted  most  effectually  to  obviate 
those  evils  to  which  human  nature  is  exposed. 

Now,  it  is  evident,  that  the  method  of  conducting 
discipline  at  present  under  consideration,  assigns  to 
every  Pastor  a  Council,  or  Senate  of  pious,  wise, 
prudent  men,  chosen  from  among  the  body  of  the 
communicants ;  and  though  not  strictly  lay-men, 
yet  commonly  so  viewed,  and,  at  any  rate,  car- 
rying with  them  the  feelings  of  the  mass  of  their 
brethren.  He  is  simply  the  Chairman  of  this  bo- 
dy of  six,  eight  or  ten  men,  who  are  charged  with 
the  whole  spiritual  rule,  and  "  without  whose  coun- 
sel nothing  is  done  in  the  Church."  He  can  carry 
no  measure  but  with  their  consent.  He  can  neither 
admit  nor  exclude  a  single  member,  without  their 
concurrence.  If  he  engage  in  any  sinister  or  foul 
plan,  as  many  are  fond  of  supposing  the  clergy  in- 
clined to  attempt,  he  certainly  cannot  accomplish 
it,  either  in  his  own  Church,  or  in  neighbouring 


30S  ADVANTAGES   OF 

Churches,  unless  he  can  prevail  on  these  men  to 
join  with  him  in  conspiring  to  elevate  himself,  at 
their  own  expense.  Will  he  be  likely  to  work  such 
a  wonder  as  this?  At  any  rate,  there  seems  to  be 
the  best  barrier  against  it,  that  the  nature  of  human 
society  admits. 

The  same  general  safeguard  pervades  all  the 
Judicatories  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  In  all  of 
them  Ruling  Elders  have  a  place,  and  in  all  of 
them,  excepting  the  General  Assembly,  the  Elders, 
if  the  theory  of  our  system  were  carried  into  per- 
fect execution,  would  be  a  majority.  In  the  Ge- 
neral Assembly  alone,  if  completely  full,  they 
would  stand  on  an  equality  in  votes  with  the  Pas- 
tors. And  these  Ruling  Elders  are  not  merely 
present  in  all  these  bodies.  They  mingle  in  all 
the  business;  are  appointed  on  all  committees; 
and  have  every  possible  opportunity  of  becoming  . 
acquainted,  in  the  most  intimate  manner,  with  all 
that  is  proposed  or  done.  There  can  be  no  con- 
cealment. The  proceedings  of  all  our  Judicatories, 
excepting  the  Church  Session,  where  the  Elders 
form  an  overwhelming  majority,  are  open  and 
public  as  the  light  of  day.  And  every  Ruling  El- 
der has  at  his  disposal  a  vote  as  potent  as  that  of 
his  most  eloquent  and  learned  neighbouring  Pastor. 

It  may  be  asked,  then,  whether  there  is  not  here 
a  barrier  against  clerical  ambition  and  encroach- 
ment as  fixed  and  firm  as  can  well  be  conceived  or 
desired?  It  is,  undoubtedly,  a  far  more  firm  bar- 
rier than  is  presented  by  the  popular  plan  in  use 
among  our  Independent  brethren.  For  as,  in  every 
Church,  a  majority  of  the  members  have  but  little 
discernment,  and  are,  of  course,  easily  influertced 
and  led  ;  so  an  artful,  designing  Pastor,  if  such  an 
one  should  appear  in  a  Church  thus  constituted, 
might  generally  succeed  in  conciliating  to  his  own 


THIS   PLAN.  309 

person  and  schemes  a  majority  of  the  votes,  to  the 
utter  discomtilure  of  the  more  wise,  pious,  and 
prudent  portion  of  the  members.  But,  upon  the 
Presbyterian  plan,  it  is  precisely  this  best  class  of 
his  Church  members  who  are  associated  with  him 
in  authority  and  counsel ;  who  are  with  him,  ec- 
clesiastically speaking,  abroad  and  at  home,  in  the 
house  and  by  the  way,  in  going  out  and  in  coming 
in  ;  from  whose  notice  he  cannot  escape,  and  with- 
out whose  co-operation  he  can  do  nothing.  Truly, 
this  is  the  very  last  method  that  designing,  ambi- 
tious ministers  would  adopt  to  forward  their  pro- 
jects !  Nothing  could  be  conceived  more  unfriendly 
to  corrupt  schemes,  than  such  a  band  of  official 
colleagues.  And  accordingly,  as  we  have  more 
than  once  seen,  in  the  foregoing  chapters,  the 
honest  and  pious  old  Ambrose,  of  the  fourth  cen- 
tury, expressly  tells  us,  tliat  it  was  a  wish  to  get 
rid  of  such  colleagues,  on  the  part  of  the  Teaching 
Elders,  that  first  led  to  the  gradual  disuse  of  Ruling 
Elders  in  the  Church,  after  the  first  three  centuries. 
III.  Again  ;  as  the  Presbyterian  plan  of  admi- 
nistering discipline  is  adapted  to  present  one  of  the 
strongest  conceivable  barriers  against  clerical  am- 
bition, so  it  also  furnishes  one  of  the  best  securities 
for  preserving  the  rights  of  the  people.  And  here 
nothing  will  be  said  on  the  supposed  congeniality 
between  the  Presbyterian  form  of  Church  Govern- 
ment, and  the  republican,  representative  systems 
under  which  we  live;  and  the  alleged  tendency 
of  the  former  to  prepare  men  for  understanding, 
prizing,  and  maintaining  the  latter  ;  I  say,  on  these 
allegations  I  shall  not  dwell ;  not  because  I  do  not 
consider  both  as  perfectly  well  founded;  but  be- 
cause the  discussion  might  be  deemed,  by  some 
readers  invidious  ;  and  because  it  forms  no  neces- 
sary part  of  my  argument.     Independently  of  these 


310  ADVANTAGES   OF 

considerations,  it  may  be  confidently  maintained, 
tliat  the  Presbyterian  plan  of  administering  disci- 
pline, furnishes  far  better  security  for  preserving 
unimpaired  the  rights  of  private  Christians,  than 
any  plan  with  which  we  are  acquainted.  It  is  not 
forgotten  that  this  assertion  will  appear  a  paradox 
to  many;  but  it  rests,  nevertheless,  on  the  most 
solid  grounds. 

There  is  no  oppression  more  heavy,  no  tyranny 
more  unrelenting,  than  that  of  an  excited,  infuriated 
popular  assembly.  No  body  with  which  the 
rights  and  privileges  of  an  inculpated  individual 
are  less  safe ;  especially  when  headed  and  con- 
trolled by  an  eloquent,  artful,  and  highly  popular 
Pastor,  who  has  taken  part  against  that  individual. 
Suppose,  then,  as  the  annals  of  Independency  have 
too  often  exemplified,  that  a  member  is  on  trial,  for 
some  alleged  delinquency,  before  a  Church  of  that 
denomination.  Suppose  the  alleged  oflTence  to  be 
one  which  has  deeply  alienated  from  him  his 
Pastor,  and  all  the  particular  friends  of  the  Pas- 
tor. Suppose  these,  as  one  man,  rise  up  against 
him,  and  resolve  to  crush  him.  And  suppose  this 
Pastor  to  be  so  generally  admired  and  beloved  by 
his  people,  that  he  is  able  to  command  an  over- 
whelming majority  of  their  votes,  in  support  of  all 
his  favourite  measures.  What  chance  would  such 
an  accused  person  stand  of  an  impartial  trial  before 
such  a  tribunal?  Not  the  smallest.  He  might  be 
guilty,  indeed,  and  deserve  the  heaviest  sentence; 
but  even  if  innocent,  his  acquittal,  in  such  circum- 
stances, could  be  anticipated  by  none.  He  must 
become  the  victim  of  popular  resentment;  and  if 
he  thus  fall,  he  has  no  remedy.  There  is  no  tri- 
bunal to  which  he  can  appeal.  He  must  lie  down 
under  the  oppressive  sentence.  And  there  he 
must  lie  as  long  as  he  lives.     He  cannot  regularly, 


THIS   PLAN.  311 

(that  is,  according  to  that  ecclesiastical  rule  which 
prevades  all  religious  denominations)  go  to  another 
Church  ;  for  tho  supposition  is  that  he  is  excom- 
municated, and  cannot  be  recommended  as  in 
"  good  standing"  to  any  other  ecclesiastical  body. 
He  must  submit  to  the  operation  of  the  sentence, 
however  unjust,  until  the  excited  and  impassioned 
body  which  laid  it  upon  him,  shall  be  disposed  to 
relent,  and  consent  to  remove  the  deadly  weight. 

It  is  not  denied  that  there  may  be  moments  of 
prejudice  and  passion  in  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
in  which  even  the  grave  and  experienced  Elders 
may  be  so  wrought  upon  by  different  sorts  of  influ- 
ence, as  to  dispense  justice  very  imperfectly,  or, 
even,  in  a  particular  case,  to  refuse  it  entirely. 
But  then,  in  every  such  case,  upon  the  Presby- 
terian plan,  there  is  an  immediate  and  perfect 
remedy.  An  individual  who  supposes  himself 
wronged,  may  appeal  to  a  higher  tribunal,  where 
his  cause  will  be  heard  by  judicious,  enlightened, 
impartial  men,  who  had  no  concern  in  its  origin, 
and  who,  if  wrong  have  been  done,  may  be  ex- 
pected to  afford  prompt  and  complete  redress. 
The  oppressive  sentence  may  be  reversed.  He 
may  be  reinstated,  in  spite  of  popular  excitement, 
in  all  his  Christian  privileges;  and  even,  where 
his  own  reluctance,  or  that  of  his  former  connex- 
ions, may  forbid  his  return  to  the  bosom  of  the 
same  congregation  in  which  he  recently  received 
such  treatment ;  yet  he  may  easily  and  regularly 
be  attached  to  a  neighbouring  one  of  the  same 
denomination,  and  thus  find  the  whole  difficulty 
satisfactorily  removed. 

It  is  not  asserted  then,  that  other  Churches,  in 
the  exercise  of  discipline,  do,  in  fact,  more  fre- 
quently injure  and  oppress  tlie  subjects  of  their  dis- 
cipline than  the  Presbyterian  Church.     Such  an 


3X2  ADVAMTAGBS  Of 

assertion,  indeed,  might,  perhaps,  be  made  without 
invidioufness;  inasmuch  as  decisions  formed  and 
pronounced  by  the  popular  voice,  may  be  deemed, 
without  disparagement  to  the  individuals  who  form 
them,  less  likely  to  be  wise,  and  impartial,  than 
when  formed  by  a  select  body  of  enlightened  and 
pious  judges.  But  on  this  point  no  comparative 
estimate  will  be  attempted.  It  is,  however,  confi- 
dently asserted,  that  when  such  wrong,  as  that  of 
which  we  speak  unhappily  occurs,  the  Presby- 
terian system  affords  more  complete  relief  from 
oppression,  and,  therefore,  furnishes  more  fixed 
security  for  the  rights  of  the  people,  than  is  found 
in  any  other  denomination.  No  single  man,  in  our 
Church,  whatever  title  he  may  bear,  can,  by  hift 
single,  perhaps  capricious,  veto,  deprive  a  pro- 
fessing Christian  of  his  privileges  as  a  Church 
member;  nor  can  it  be  done  by  a  feverish,  popular 
assembly,  impelled  by  its  own  prejudice  or  pas- 
sion, or  held  under  the  sovereign  control  of  one 
man.  The  best  array  of  piety,  wisdom,  and 
knowledge  which  the  society  affords,  must  sit  in 
judgment  in  the  case,  and  even  if  this  judicatory 
should  give  an  unjust  sentence,  the  relij^ious  rights 
of  the  individual  are  not  prostrated  or  foreclosed; 
but  may  be  reviewed  by  an  impartial  tribunal,  and 
every  privilege  which  he  ought  to  enjoy,  secured. 
IV.  Further;  the  plan  of  conducting  Church 
government  with  the  aid  of  Ruling  Elders,  secures 
to  Ministers  of  the  Word  and  Sacraments,  counsel 
and  support,  in  all  their  official  proceedings,  of  the 
best  possible  kind.  Supposing  ministers  of  the 
gospel  to  be  honest,  pious,  disinterested,  and  zea- 
lous in  their  appropriate  work;  to  have  no  dispo- 
sition, at  any  time,  to  encroach  on  the  rights  of 
others ;  and  to  be  above  the  reach  of  that  passion 
and  prejudice,  which  are  so  apt  to  assail  even  the 


THIS   PLAN.  313 

honest,  and  which  need  a  check  in  all ;  even  sup- 
pose ministers  of  the  gospel  to  be  above  the  reach 
of  these  evils  ;  still  they  need  counsel,  information, 
and  support  in  a  multitude  of  cases,  and  cannot, 
with  either  safety  or  advantage,  proceed  without 
them.  In  all  the  affairs  of  the  Church,  it  is  of  the 
utmost  importance  that  the  interests  of  the  whole 
body  be  constantly  consulted,  and  that  the  whole 
body  act  an  appropriate  part  in  conducting  its 
affairs.  As  there  are  no  privileged  orders  to  be 
aggrandized  and  elevated;  so  there  are  no  eccle- 
siastical secrets  to  be  kept ;  no  private  or  selfish 
schemes  to  be  tolerated.  The  more  completely 
every  plan  is  laid  open  to  public  view,  understood, 
and  appreciated  by  every  member,  sustained  by 
unanimous  and  willing  effort,  and  made  to  promote 
the  knowledge,  purity,  and  order  of  the  whole,  the 
better.  Of  course,  that  plan  of  ecclesiastical  regi- 
men which  is  best  adapted  to  attain  these  ends, 
and  to  attain  them  in  the  most  certain,  direct, 
quiet,  and  comfortable  manner,  is  most  worthy  of 
our  choice. 

Such  a  plan,  it  is  firmly  believed,  is  the  Presby- 
terian. In  every  department  of  official  duty,  the 
Pastor  of  this  denomination  has  associated  with 
him,  a  body  of  pious,  wise,  and  disinterested  coun- 
sellors, taken  from  amona  the  people  ;  acquainted 
^Tith  their  views ;  participating  in  their  feelings; 
able  to  give  sound  advice  as  to  the  wisdom  and 
practicability  of  plans  which  require  general  co- 
operation for  carrying  them  into  effect;  and  able 
also,  after  having  aided  in  the  formation  of  such 
plans,  to  return  to  their  constituents,  and  so  to  ad- 
vocate and  recommend  them,  as  to  secure  general 
concurrence  in  their  favour. 

'J'his  is  an  advantage,  strictly  speaking,  peculiar 
to  Presbyterianism.     For  although  other  forms  of 


314  ADV/INTAOE8   OF 

Church  government  provide  for  associating  lay- 
men with  the  clergy  in  ecclesiastical  business; 
yet,  according  to  them,  there  is  no  divine  warrant 
for  it.  It  is  a  mere  human  expedient,  to  meet  an 
acknowledged  exigency,  for  which  those  who  make 
this  acknowledgment,  suppose  that  the  law  of 
Christ  makes  no  provision.  And  the  human  pro- 
vision which  they  thus  make,  is,  manifestly,  liable 
to  many  objections.  It  consists  either  in  constitut- 
ing the  whole  body  of  the  communicants  the  Pas- 
tor's counsellors — which  is  liable  to  all  the  objec- 
tions stated  at  large  in  a  former  chapter  ;  or,  in  pro- 
viding for  him  a  committee,  or  small  delegation  of 
lay-men,  who  may  be  changed  every  year,  or 
oflener,  and,  of  course,  may  have  very  little  ex- 
perience; and  in  some  Churches  these  lay  dele- 
gates are  not  required  to  be  communicants,  or  even 
baptized  persons;  and,  consequently,  may  have  no 
real  ecclesiastical  responsibility  for  their  conduct. 

V.  The  method  of  conducting  dij^cipline  under 
consideration,  has  also  the  advantage  on  the  score 
of  despatch  and  energy^  as  well  as  of  wisdom  and 
the  security  of  equal  rights. 

Where  all  the  discipline  that  is  exercised  is  in 
the  hands  of  a  single  individual,  without  appeal,  it 
must  be  confessed  that,  in  this  case,  provision  for 
despatch  and  energy  cannot  be,  at  least  in  theory, 
more  perfect.  But  where  it  is  in  the  hands  of  the 
whole  body  of  the  Church  members,  there  is  no 
saying  hovv  long  litigation  may  be  protracted,  or  in 
what  perplexities  and  delays  the  plainest  case  may 
be  involved.  There  are  so  many  minds  to  be  con- 
sulted, and  every  case,  upon  this  plan,  is  so  open 
to  capricious  or  malignant  interposition,  that  it  is 
impossible,  in  ordinary  circumstances,  to  calculate 
results,  or  to  foresee  an  end. 

Even  on  the  Presbyterian  plan,  there  is  no  doubt 


THIS    PLAN.  315 

that  delay  and  perplexities  may,  in  some  cases, 
arise.  But  where  the  whole  management  of  dis- 
cipline, from  its  inceptive  steps  to  the  consumma- 
tion of  each  case,  is  entirely  committed  to  a  select 
body  of  pious,  intelligent,  prudent,  and  experienced 
men,  accustomed  to  the  work,  and  aware  of  the 
dangers  to  which  their  course  is  exposed,  we  may 
reasonably  calculate  on  their  decisions  being  as 
speedy,  as  unembarrassed,  and  as  much  lifted  above 
the  temporizing  feebleness,  or  the  tempestuous  irre- 
gularity and  confusion,  incident  to  popular  manage- 
ment, as  human  infirmity  will  allow. 

VI.  The  plan  of  conducting  discipline  by  means 
of  a  succession  of  judicatories,  admitting  of  appeal, 
provides  for  redressing  many  grievances  which  do 
not  appear,  otherwise,  to  admit  of  a  remedy.  Ac- 
cording to  the  Independent,  or  stricdy  Congrega- 
tional system,  as  suggested  in  a  preceding  page, 
when  a  member  of  a  Church  has  been  unjustly 
censured  or  cast  out,  he  has  no  appeal.  There  is 
no  tribunal  to  which  he  can  apply  for  relief.  Yet 
his  case  may  be  an  exceedingly  hard  one,  loudly 
calling  for  redress.  The  cause  of  religion  in  his 
neighbourhood  may  be  suffering  severely  by  the 
situation  in  which  he  is  placed.  Ought  there  not  to 
be  some  regular  and  adequate  method  of  meeting 
and  removing  such  a  difficulty  ?  In  such  of  the 
Churches  of  Connecticut  as  have  entered  into  the 
plan  of  Consociational  union,  such  a  method  has 
been,  to  a  certain  extent,  provided.  But  it  has 
been  by  adopting,  to  precisely  the  same  extent,  a 
leading  principle  of  Presbyterianism.  When  diffi- 
culties arise  in  a  particular  Church,  a  tribunal  is 
formed,  by  a  number  of  neighbouring  ministers, 
together  with  one  or  more  lay-delegates,  from  each 
of  the  Churches  represented,  who  may  review, 
and,  if  need   be,  redress   the  alleged    grievance. 


316  ADVANTAGES   OF 

This  is  a  Presbyterian  feature  in  their  system,  and, 
80  far  as  it  goes,  excellent  and  effectual.  In  the 
judgment,  however,  of  the  venerable  President 
Dwight,  this  plan  is  still  defective,  and  defective 
precisely  in  the  point  at  which  it  stops  short  of 
Presbyierianism.  The  opinion  which  this  dis- 
tinguished Congregational  Minister  has  expressed, 
in  reference  to  the  subject  before  us,  will  best  ap- 
pear by  presenting  it  in  its  connexion.  It  is  as 
follows  : — 

''  There  are  many  cases  in  which  individuals  are 
dissatisfied,  on  reasonable  grounds,  with  the  judg- 
ment of  a  Church.  It  is  perfectly  obvious,  that, 
in  a  debate  between  two  members  of  the  same 
Church,  the  parties  may,  in  many  respects,  stand  on 
unequal  ground.  One  of  them  may  be  ignorant;  with- 
out family  connexions  ;  in  humble  circumstances; 
and  possessed  of  little  or  no  personal  influence. 
The  other  may  be  a  person  of  distinction  ;  opulent ; 
powerfully  connected;  of  superior  understanding; 
and  of  great  personal  influence,  not  only  in  the 
Church,  but  also  in  the  country  at  large.  As 
things  are  in  this  world,  it  is  impossible  that  these 
persons  should  possess,  in  any  controversy  be- 
tween them,  equal  advantages.  Beyond  all  this, 
the  Church  itself  may  be  one  parly,  and  a  poor 
and  powerless  member  the  other.  In  this  case, 
also,  it  is  unnecessary  to  observe,  the  individual 
must  labour  under  every  supposable  disadvantage, 
to  which  a  righteous  cause  can  be  subjected.  To 
bring  the  parlies  in  these,  or  any  similar  circum- 
stances, as  near  to  a  slate  of  equality  as  human 
affairs  will  permit,  it  seems  absolutely  necessary 
that  every  ecclesiastical  body  should  have  its  tri- 
bunal of  appeals;  a  superior  Judicature,  established 
by  common  consent,  and  vested  with  authority  to 
issue  Anally  all  those  causes^  which,  before  a  sin- 


THIS    PLAN.  317 

gle  Church,  are  obviously  liable  to  a  partial  de- 
cision." 

*'  Such  a  tribunal,  in  all  the  New-England  States, 
except  this,  (Connecticut,)  is  formed  by  what  is 
called  a  Select  Council ;  that  is  a  council  mutually 
chosen  by  the  contending  parlies.     This  has  long 
appeared  to  me  a  Judicatory  most  unhappily  con- 
stituted.    The  parties  choose,  of  course,  such  per- 
sons, as  they  suppose  most  likely  to  favour  them- 
selves.    If,  therefore,  they  commit  no  mistake  in 
the  choice,  the  Council  may  be  considered  as  di- 
vided in  opinion,  before  it  assembles  ;  and  as  fur- 
nishing every  reason  to  believe,  that  it  will  not  be 
less  divided  afterwards.     Its  proceedings  will  fre- 
quently be  marked  with  strong  partialities;  and  its 
decisions,  if  made  at  all,  will,  not  unfrequently,  be 
those  of  a  bare  majority.     Coming  from  different 
parts  of  the  country,  it  will  have  no  common  rules 
of  proceeding.     After  its  decisions,  its  existence 
ceases.     Its  responsibility  vanishes  with  its  exis- 
tence;  as  does  also  the  sense  of  its  authority.     As 
the  members  frequently  come  from  a  distance,  it 
can  have  no  knowledge  concerning  those  numerous 
particulars,  which  respect  the  transactions   to  be 
judged  of,  and  the  characters,  interests,  views,  and 
contrivances  of  those   who  are  immediately  con- 
cerned.    As  individuals,  these  members  may,  in 
some  instances,  have  much  weight;  and  in  certain 
circumstances,  may,  by  their  wisdom  and  piety,  do 
much  good.     But  all  this  must  arise  solely  from 
their  personal  character.     As  a  Council,  as  a  judi- 
catory, they  can  scarcely  have  any  weight  at  all ; 
for  as  they  disappear  when  the  trial  is  ended,  they 
are  forgotten  in  their  united  character;  and  having 
no  permanent  existence,  are  regarded  wiih  no  ha- 
bitual respect,  and  even  with  no  prejudice  in  their 
27 


318  ADVANTAGES   OF 

favour.  Very  often,  also,  as  they  are  chosen  on 
partial  principles,  ihey  are  led,  of  course,  to  par- 
tial decisions ;  and  leave  behind  them  very  un- 
happy opinions  concerning  ecclesiastical  govern- 
ment at  large." 

"  In  this  state,  (Connecticut,)  a  much  happier 
mode  has  been  resorted  to,  for  the  accomplishment 
of  this  object.  The  tribunal  of  appeal  is  here  a 
Consociation  ;  a  standing  body  ;  composed  of  the 
settled  Ministers  within  an  associalional  district, 
and  Delegates  from  the  Churches  in  the  same  dis* 
trict;  a  body  always  existing:  of  acknowledged 
authority;  of  great  weight;  possessed  of  all  the 
impartiality  incident  to  human  affairs;  feeling  its 
responsibility  as  a  thing  of  course  ;  a  Court  of  Re- 
cord, having  a  regular  system  of  precedents;  and, 
from  being  frequendy  called  to  business  of  this  na- 
ture, skilled,  to  a  good  degree,  in  the  proper  modes 
of  proceeding." 

"The  greatest  defect  in  this  system,  as  it  seems 
to  me,  is  the  want  of  a  still  superior  tribunal,  to 
receive  appeals,  in  cases  where  they  are  obviously 
necessary.  These,  it  is  unnecessary  for  me  to 
particularize.  Every  person  extensively  acquainted 
with  ecclesiastical  affairs,  knows  that  such  cases 
exist.  The  only  remedy  provided  by  the  system 
of  discipline  established  in  this  Stale,  for  those  who 
feel  aggrieved  by  a  Consociational  judgment,  is  to 
introduce  a  neighbouring  Consociation,  as  assessors 
with  that  which  has  given  the  judgment,  at  a  new 
hearing  of  the  cause.  The  provision  of  this  par- 
tial, imperfect  tribunal  of  appeals,  is  clear  proof, 
that  those  who  formed  the  system,  perceived  the 
absolute  necessity  of  some  appellate  jurisdiction. 
The  judicatory  which  they  have  furnished  of  this 
nature,  is  perhaps  the  best,  which  the  Churches  of 
the  State,  would  at  that,  or  any  succeeding  period, 


THIS  PLAN.  319 

have  consented  to  establish.  Yet  it  is  easy  to  see 
that,  were  they  disposed,  they  might  easily  insti- 
tute one  which  would  be  incomparably  better," 

"  The  only  instance  found  in  the  Scriptures  of 
an  appeal,  actually  made  for  the  decision  of  an  ec- 
clesiastical debate,  is  that  recorded  in  the  fifteenth 
chapter  of  the  Acts,  and  mentioned  for  another  pur- 
pose in  a  former  discourse.  A  number  of  the  Jews 
in  the  Church  at  Antioch,  insisted  that  the  gentile 
converts  should  be  circumcised  and  be  obliged  to 
keep  the  law  of  Moses.  Paul  and  Barnabas  stre- 
nuously controverted  this  point  with  them.  As  no 
harmonious  termination  of  the  debate  could  be  had 
at  Antioch,  an  appeal  was  made  "to  the  Apostles 
and  Elders  at  Jerusalem."  But,  as  I  observed,  in 
the  discourse  mentioned,  it  was  heard  and  deter- 
mined by  the  Apostles,  Elders,  and  Brethren.  As 
this  judicatory  was  formed  under  the  direction  of 
the  Apostles  themselves,  it  must  be  admitted  as  a 
precedent  for  succeeding  Churches;  and  teaches 
us,  on  the  one  hand,  that  an  appellate  jurisdiction 
is  both  lawful  and  necessary  in  the  Church;  and, 
on  the  other,  that  it  is  to  be  composed  of  both 
Ministers  and  Brethren,  necessarily  acting,  at  the 
present  time,  by  delegation."* 

In  this  quotation,  and  in  the  remarks  which  pre- 
ceded it,  a  reference,  it  will  be  perceived,  is  prin- 
cipally had  to  cases  in  which  individual  private 
members  have  considered  themselves  as  aggrieved 
by  the  decisions  of  particular  Churches.  But  the 
same  remarks,  in  substance,  are  applicable  to  those 
cases  in  which  difficulties  arise  between  Ministers 
and  their  Congregations,  or  between  two  neigh- 
bouring Congregations  of  the  same  name.  No 
form  of  Church  government  provides  for  the  seltle- 

*  Theology  Explained  and  Defended,  Vol.  iv.  399—401. 


320  ADVANTAGES   OF 

ment  of  such  (lifliculties  so  promptly  or  so  well  as 
the  Presbyterian.  ludepeiidency,  strictly  so  called; 
that  is  Independency,  in  strict  adherence  to  its  es- 
sential principles,  furnishes,  for  such  evils,  no  re- 
medy whatever.  Other  sects  furnish  a  nominal  or 
partial  remedy,  by  investing  some  ollicial  individual 
with  power  to  constitute  a  tribunal  for  settling  such 
controversies.  Hut  the  choice  of  the  members  of 
this  tribunal  is  usually  committed  entirely  to  that 
individual,  and  it  is,  of  course,  in  his  power  to 
make  it,  like  a  "  packed  jury,"  in  the  hands  of  a 
corrupt  returning  ollicer,  a  mere  instrument  of  op- 
pression. But,  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  every 
difficulty  of  this  kind  is  committed,  for  adjustment, 
tea  permanent,  responsible  body;  a  body  whose 
proceedings  may  be  reviewed  and  examined; 
whose  organization  or  members  cannot  be  changed 
at  the  will  of  a  corrupt  individual,  who  may  choose 
to  tamper  with  them  ;  and  whose  decisions  are  not 
merely  advisory,  but  authoritative. 

VII.  Finally;  the  Presbyterian  method  of  con- 
ducting the  government  of  the  Church,  is  most 
friendly  to  the  spread  of  the  gospel,  and  furnishes 
peculiar  facilities  for  union  and  elliciency  of  action, 
in  promoting  the  great  objects  of  Christian  bene- 
volence. 

It  has  been  sometimes,  indeed,  alleged  in  oppo- 
sition to  this,  that  Presbyterianism  is,  naturally, 
and  almost  necessarily,  cold  and  formal;  and  that 
Congregationalism  has  been  found,  in  fact,  more 
favourable  to  zeal  and  activity  in  spreading  the 
gospel.  It  is  by  no  means  intended  to  depreciate 
either  the  z.eal  or  the  activity  of  our  Congregational 
Brethren.  Justice  demands  that  much  be  said  in 
commendation  of  both.  And  it  will  be  no  small 
praise  to  any  other  denomination  to  be  found  suc- 
cessfully emulating  the  intelligence,  enterprise  and 


THIS    PLAN.  321 

perseverance  which  they  have  often  manifested  in 
pursuing  the  best  interests  of  the  Redeemer's  king- 
dom. But  when  the  organization  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  is  examined,  one  would  think  that 
prejudice  itself  could  scarcely  deny  its  peculiar 
adaptedness  for  united,  harmonious,  and  efficient 
action,  in  every  thins;  which  it  might  become  con- 
vinced was  worthy  of  pursuit. 

In  order  to  enable  this  Church  to  act  with  the 
utmost  energy  and  uniformity,  throughout  its  entire 
extent,  there  is  no  need  of  any  new  organization. 
It  is  organized  already,  and  in  a  manner,  as  would 
seem,  as  perfect  as  possible  for  united  and  harmo- 
nious  action.     A  delegation  from  every  Church 
meet  and  confer,  several  times  in  each  year,  as  a 
matter  of  course,   in   Presbytery.      What  oppor 
tunity  could  be  imagined  more  favourable  for  form- 
ing and  executing  plans  of  co-operation,  among  all 
the  Churches  thus  united,  and  statedly  convening? 
They  have  the  same  opportunity,  and  every  ad- 
vantage, of  meeting  at  pleasure,  that  can  be  enjoyed 
by  a  voluntary  association;   with   the  additional 
advantage,  that  they  act  under  a  system  of  eccle- 
siastical rules  and  authority,  which  enable  them  to 
go  forward  with  more  energy  and  uniformity  in 
their  adopted  course.     If  a  more  extended  union 
of  Presbyterian    Churches   than  of  those   which 
belong  to  a  single  Presbytery,  be  desired,  for  any 
particular  purpose,   the   regular  meetings  of  the 
Synods,  each  comprising  a  number  of  Presbyte- 
ries, affiDrd  the  happiest  opportunity,  without  any 
new  or  extra  combination,  of  effecting  the  object. 
The  representatives  of,  perhaps,  one  hundred  and 
fifty  Churches,   assembled   in   their  ecclesiastical 
capacity,  and  in  the  name  of  Christ,  could  hardly 
be  conceived   to  convene  in  circumstances  more 
perfectly  favourable  to  their  co-operating,  in  any 


322  ADVANTAGES  OF 

worthy  and  hallowed  cause,  with  one  heart,  and 
with  the  most  perfect  concentration  of  effort.  And 
when  we  extend  our  thoughts  to  tlie  General  As- 
sembly, the  bond  of  union,  counsel  and  co-opera- 
tion for  more  than  two  thousand  Churches,  all 
represented,  and  combined  in  the  same  cause;  we 
see  a  plan  which,  in  theory  at  least,  it  would  seem 
difficult  to  adapt  more  completely  to  union  of  heart 
and  hand  in  any  good  work.  The  most  admirable 
combination,  with  every  possible  advantage,  exists 
beforehand.  Nothing  is  in  any  case,  wanting,  but 
the  animating  Spirit  necessary  for  applying  it  to 
the  proper  objects.  The  machinery,  in  all  its  per- 
fection, is  already  constructed,  and  ready  to  be  set 
in  motion.  Only  let  the  impelling  principle,  which 
is  necessary  to  set  all  moral  combinations  into 
vigorous  movement,  be  present,  and  operate  with 
due  power,  and  it  may  be  asserted,  that  a  more 
advantageous  system  for  ecclesiastical  enterprise 
was  never  devised. 

It  is  not  a  sufficient  reply  to  this  statement  to 
say,  that  the  Congregational  Churches  of  New- 
England,  have,  in  fact,  done  more  within  the  last 
thirty  years,  in  the  way  of  contribution  and  effort, 
for  extending  the  Redeemer's  kingdom,  than  any 
equal  number  of  Churches  of  the  Presbyterian 
denomination  in  the  United  Stales.  It  is  impos- 
sible to  contemplate  the  intelligence,  harmony  of 
feeling,  and  pious  enterprise  of  the  mass  of  our 
Congregational  Brethren,  without  sentiments,  at 
once,  of  respect  and  gratitude.  But  is  not  the 
general  fact  alluded  to,  chiefly  referable  to  other 
causes  than  the  form  of  their  Church  government? 
No  one,  it  is  believed,  can  doubt,  for  a  moment, 
that  this  is  the  case.  Their  Church  government 
is,  manifestly,  less  adapted  to  promote  union  and 
eirecti>e   co-operation,    than    most    others.     But 


THIS    PLAN.  323 

their  intelligence,  their  piety,  their  common  origin, 
their  homogeneous  character,  their  compact  situa- 
tion, and  the  sameness  of  the  instruction,  the  ex- 
citements, and  the  agencies  which  they  enjoy, 
have  all  tended  to  prepare  them  for  united  and  liar- 
monious  co-operation.  Only  give  to  the  members 
of  Churches  organized  on  the  Presbyterian  plan, 
the  same  advantages;  the  same  natural  principles 
of  cohesion ;  the  same  inielleclual  and  moral  sti- 
mulants; and  the  same  pervading  spirit;  and  can 
any  one  believe  that  there  would  be  found  less 
union,  and  less  energy  in  pursuing  the  best  inte- 
rests of  man?  We  must  deny  the  connexion  be- 
tween cause  and  effect,  before  we  can  doubt  that 
there  would  be  more  of  both.  It  has  been  some- 
times, indeed,  said,  as  a  supposed  exemplification 
of  the  unfavourable  influence  of  Presbyterianism, 
that  the  Churches  called  Presbyterian,  in  South 
Britain  have  generally  declined,  both  in  orthodoxy 
and  piety,  within  the  last  hundred  years;  while 
the  Independents  have  generally  and  happily  main- 
tained their  character  for  both.  But  the  fact  is, 
that  when  the  English  Presbyterians  gradually  fell 
into  those  errors,  for  which  the  greater  part  of  them 
are  now  distinguished,  they,  at  the  same  lime, 
gradually  renounced  the  Presbyterian  form  of  go- 
vernment, although  they  retained  the  name.  There 
are  not  now,  and  have  not  been,  for  many  years, 
any  real  Presbyterians  in  England,  excepting  those 
who  are,  directly  or  indirectly,  connected  with 
Churches  in  Scotland.  After  all,  it  is  not  pre- 
tended that  the  Presbyterian  form  of  Church  go- 
vernment can,  of  itself,  infuse  spiritual  life  and 
activity  into  an  ecclesiastical  body  ;  but  that  where 
vitality,  and  zeal,  and  resources  exist,  there  is  no 
form  of  ecclesiastical  organization  in  the  world  so 
well    adapted    to    unite   counsels,  and   invigorate 


324  ADVANTAGES  OF  THW   PLAW. 

efforts,  as  that  under  which  we  are  so  happy  as  to 
live. 

It  makes  no  part  however,  of  the  design  of  the 
author  of  this  volume  to  assail,  or  to  depreciate  the 
ecclesiastical  order  of  other  denominations.  On 
the  contrary,  wherever  he  finds  those  who  evi- 
dently bear  the  image  of  Christ,  and  who  appear 
to  be  engaged  in  advancing  his  kingdom,  whatever 
form  of  Church  order  they  may  prefer,  lie  can  hail 
them  with  unqualified  afi'ection  as  Christian  Bre- 
thren. The  truth  is,  he  would  not  have  alluded 
to  any  other  portion  of  the  Christian  Church  than 
that  with  which  he  is  more  immediately  connected, 
had  it  appeared  possible,  without  doing  so,  fully  to 
illustrate  the  character  and  advantages  of  our  own 
form  of  government.  His  ardent  wish  is,  not  to 
alienate,  by  high  claims,  or  unkind  language;  but 
rather  to  conciliate  and  bind  together  by  every 
thing  that  can  minister  to  broiherly  love.  And  his 
daily  prayer  is,  that  all  tlie  Evangelical  Churches 
in  our  land  may  be  more  and  more  united  in  prin- 
ciple and  effort,  for  extending  that  "  kingdom 
which  is  not  meat  and  drink,  but  righteousness  and 
peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost." 


THE    END. 


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